


Untitled Goro Akechi Redemption Arc

by WritingIsMyCoffee



Category: Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 5, Persona 5 Royal
Genre: Akechi Goro Redemption, BIG SPOILERS FOR P3 FES/P4G/P5R, Chidori was revived, F/M, I'm giving the gays everything they want, In which P5R's 3rd semester fucked a lot of stuff up for other persona users, M/M, Multi, Mystery, P3 FeMC referred to as Hamuko, P3 twin AU, Temporary Character Death, The Answer happened but I haven't beaten it yet so my references prob won't even be accurate :/, Trans Shirogane Naoto, as akechi has to deal with the aftermath of THAT, can I make that joke it's been 14 years, holy shit it's been 14 years i'm old, it's me i'm the gays, no beta we die like shinji, playing fast and loose with persona abilities/lore, slow burn for akira/akechi, tags recently updated but no plot changes, while also going through a lot of his own shit, you gotta play them all to read this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:47:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 29,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26723896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritingIsMyCoffee/pseuds/WritingIsMyCoffee
Summary: In which P5R's third semester also affected the lives of other persona users, and Goro Akechi, unintentionally, becomes responsible for fixing Takuto Maruki's mess. Featuring surprise found family, gay panics, Junpei Iori (Ace Detective), and Naoto Shirogane (actual detective).
Relationships: Akechi Goro & Iori Junpei, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Aragaki Shinjiro/Sanada Akihiko, Arisato Minako/Sanada Akihiko, Hanamura Yosuke/Narukami Yu, Iori Junpei/Yoshino Chidori, Kitagawa Yusuke/Sakamoto Ryuji, Shirogane Naoto/Tatsumi Kanji
Comments: 179
Kudos: 260





	1. Goatee

**Author's Note:**

> This idea has been rattling around in my brain for weeks now and I had to get it out of there. I'm knee-deep in college stuff, but here's to hoping I get to flesh this out and finish it somewhat soon! I'm super excited to get to work on this, and I hope you enjoy it too!
> 
> (there's gonna be a point in this fic you'll think "hey, didn't this happen in megamind?" and then you'll realize, as I did outlining this story in my head, that I just unconsciously rewrote the entire movie. this'll make sense later)

For all intensive purposes, Goro Akechi is dead.

He is dead, legally. The general public has been led to believe he died nearly a year ago, after he was found unresponsive in his apartment bedroom. Tucked under his covers rather snuggly, his death was diagnosed as a tragic, late-night brain aneurysm. He was buried at the age of eighteen, on the cusp of greatness, and his short stint as a prince detective faded quickly into obscurity.

In reality, Goro Akechi is very much alive. Though, to the extent he is living varies depending on the day.

It’s nearing noon when Goro decides to brave the outdoors.

More accurately, it’s 11:49 when Goro checks out of the Seaside Clamshell. A “love hotel” hadn’t been his first choice for a place to spend the night, but the streets were busy in Tatsumi Port Island that day. Goro had weighed the humility against his possible discovery and decided his pride could bear to be wounded further.

He slips the hostess at the desk a kind tender of bills, to make up for the haste in which he leaves, and slips into the steady stream of midday traffic. Hair pulled back, he dawns a ratty baseball cap he found in a town he’s since forgotten the name of. The days of crisp suits and silk ties are long behind him; as are the weeks Goro had the privilege to shower at his leisure.

The wallet tucked into his pocket is far too light for his liking. He has to pat his hip just to ensure it’s still there. Food may be off the table, but a ticket to Shibuya may not be. Push comes to shove, he’s learned a handful of ways to acquire money on short notice.

He’s good on time, according to the clock bearing near the train station, though it doesn’t really matter since he’s already made it. Goro makes a note to buy a watch sometime in the future. Or pick pocket one. Whichever is more convenient.

There’s a phone somewhere in the bottom of his duffel bag, battery since dead but a charger would be easy to come by. Goro doesn’t dare turn it on.

Then again, he won’t really need a watch where he’s going. Or a phone. Or anything. Soon, all Goro’s current worries will vanish. What’ll replace them afterwards he has a fairly good idea of.

The line for tickets is long. Half a dozen times, the people around Goro seem to close in on him. He all but has to hold his breath to keep from skittering away. He hates who he’s become; nothing but a feral streetcat, in desperate need of a bath.

He used to be respected. Feared. The phantom parents would tell their children about to get them to behave. That was until a separate group of phantoms took all that away from him. Saved him, in their eyes. Or maybe they left him to rot.

Hell. What’s he even thinking anymore? Goro swears he doesn’t even recognize his own _thoughts_ , let alone his appearance.

It takes some time, but Goro gets his ticket. He clings to it, but just to easily discards it after he’s let aboard. If not for how exhausting this day has been, he would agonize over the irony of his actions.

Seats are going quickly, but Goro secures himself a window seat in the corner of his car. He feigns a nap, hoping the general public has the decency not to wake a sleeping passenger.

“Sorry, sir. Car’s gettin’ real full. Mind if I-?”

Evidently not.

“Oh shit!” A man’s voice begins to whisper. “Sorry! Go back to sleep.”

Goro growns, curling in on himself further. He wills the man to go away, who doesn’t, plopping himself down with an obnoxious huff. There’s an even more obnoxious amount of rustling as the man tears through his bag, his zipper getting stuck and making even more of a ruckus.

“C’mon. C’mon- _damn it_.”

More rustling. You would think the man has terrible luck, but in actuality it’s Goro. The nerve of some people to simply exist.

The train crawls to a slow start, and the realization that the man isn’t going to stop messing with his bag finally hits him. In a moment of desperation, and a buildup of dread and anxiety, Goro sits up, grabs the man’s bag, and rips the zipper open himself.

He shoves the ill-made bag into the stupid lap of the stupid man. If Goro weren’t so furious, he’d come up with a better adjective to use. The man, with his dumb goatee on his slacked jaw, stares at him in bewilderment.

Goro crosses his arms and turns the other way, energy spent.

“Uh...thanks. S-”

“Shut up,” is all Goro mutters before falling asleep.

  
  


The general public has since lost its interest with the Phantom Thieves, along with the convoluted, oftentimes confusing laws of cognitive pscience. Despite all the lives that were uprooted and lost, the two turned out to be nothing but fads. Society has since moved on to fretting over the newer controversies plaguing them, such as the newest celebrity scandals.

Goro doesn’t bother keeping up to date on such trivial matters. He’s much more focused on making sure he stays “dead.”

He’s taken on a new name, not to mention a new life. If it can be considered a life at all. Drifting from one town to the next. Keeping track of his limited funds. Making sure not to stay in one place for too long lest he be noticed. School is out of the picture, but it’s not as if he could have kept using his old school records. That would defeat the purpose of living in hiding.

For a time, Goro would have liked to believe he was managing. He’s used to the displacement, having spent most of his life in foster care. As for taking care of himself, that’s all he’s ever known.

Now, he’s on what may be his last train ride. Back to a city he can only call home for how long he lived there. No longer managing, but having realized he never was in the first place.

“-yeah, seems weird they just, like, stopped happening. Kinda like with the Apathy Syndrome stuff. _Wink_.”

Good God, this train ride needs to end soon. Goro has only been awake for five seconds and Goatee is already pissing him off.

He sits up, making it apparent he’s awake, and takes pleasure in the blood that drains from the man’s face.

“Hey, uh, gotta go babe. He’s-yep. I love you. Be back soon.” Goatee hangs up his phone, then proceeds to blow a kiss at the calls list. The nerve of this man.

Goro adjusts his cap and licks the sleep of his teeth.

“Hey. We’re about thirty minutes out from Shibuya.”

Great. _Conversation_. Goro rolls his eyes under the safety of his brim.

“Whatcha headin’ there for? Got family you’re meeting up with? Friends?”

It won’t end. Not if Goro doesn’t contribute. He offers a terse, “No,” and a heated glare.

Goatee frowns. “Sooooo...just sight seeing?”

The window. Goro faces the window and grits his teeth _hard_.

Finally, Goatee sighs. He’s got the message. A silence falls between them, one Goro lavishes in. The sun has begun its descent below the brightly-lit horizon of Tokyo, signaling the approaching end of Goro’s freedom. 

He’s honestly going through with this. The idea had toyed with him for so long it hardly feels real. Goro doubts after the deed is done it even will. There should be fear somewhere within him. A sense of urgency or fight or flight, the same he feels every time he enters a crowd.

Instead he feels...nothing. Is this how it’s supposed to feel, walking up to the gallows?

A voice in his head, that sounds far too close to Kurusu, tells him no.

“Okay kid. I’m just gonna ask ya...you got anywhere to go?”

 _Again_ with this moron. Goro whips around to face Goatee, catching him off guard. “Do you have the brain capacity to realize when someone doesn’t want to converse with you?”

Goatee scowls. “Hey! I resent that!”

“Who the hell even says that.”

A scoff, somewhat mixed with a gasp. “Asshole. I was gonna ask if you need a meal or something! You’re clearly homeless! And what, like, ten?”

 _Twenty_ , Goro wants to say, but he isn’t entirely sure if that’s true. It’s somewhere around there. He hasn’t bothered keeping track with dates lately. “Thank you for the offer, but I’m fine.”

“Okay, but like, do you have a plan once you get to the city? Enough money to last you a while-?”

“ _Please_ ,” Goro hisses, if only to escape this nightmare, “leave me alone. I will be fine.”

Goatee stares at him, long and hard. Then, he blinks. “Hey, I...know you from somewhere?”

There’s nowhere to go. Goro is trapped, in a crowded train car, heading for one of the most crowded cities in the world. This man will turn him in, and he’ll be sent to prison before Goro has the chance to do what he came for.

“You don’t.”

Goatee blinks again. “Oh, okay.”

Or maybe he’s not as trapped as he thought he was.

True to Goatee’s word, their train slows to a stop thirty minutes later. Every passenger rises sluggishly from their seat and bumbles about to grab their stuff and go. Goro holds his duffel close to him, leg bobbing as he waits for the aisle way to clear.

Goatee takes his _sweet_ time gathering his stuff, checking his phone before obnoxiously stretching his arms. He eases out of his seat at a leisurely pace, then stands stupidly beside it.

A minute passes. He’s blocking the way.

Goro clears his throat.

Goatee scratches his chin.

Unbelievable.

“A- _hem_.”

Goatee’s apologetic smile is as convincing as Sakamoto’s attempts to keep his phantom thief identity a secret. “Oh, sorry kid. You ready to go?”

A reply, no matter how long, would give him way too much satisfaction. Goro knows this, which is why he rushes past the man once he’s cleared the way.

It’s in his haste that he failed to account what the man’s true intentions were from the start. He’s far too angry and flustered to grab his duffel back as Goatee snatches it from his arms. Goro whips around, seeing red, but the man already has his bag tucked safely under his own armpit.

There’s too many people around to resort to violent (but quick) solutions.

Goatee smirks. “C’mon. My friend I’m visitin’ is a fan of ramen. I’ll have him meet us at a place I know of.”


	2. Ogikubo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Junpei feasts. Goro makes a deal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter brought to you by my one o'clock class being cancelled and me having the time to wrap this up and post it real quick

Ogikubo is packed, as it usually is. Regardless of the time of day, the bar is always full of hungry tourists and locals, stuffing their faces full with oily noodles.

Junpei Iori is one of those patrons.

He’s carving through his bowl with wild abandon, unaware of how greasy his cheeks have become. Goro eyes him with mild disgust, annoyed he’s being distracted by such barbarienism when he should be observing the other restaurant attendants. They’re seated at the farthest end of the bar, but that means nothing when the entire building was designed to pack people in like sardines.

Everyone in Shibuya knows Goro Akechi. All it takes is one curious individual to utter his name, and like wildfire the knowledge of his resurrection will spread.

There’s a businessman hunched over a steaming bowl of broth. He lifts his bowl to his lips, then turns to Goro, as if caught in a trace.

Goro freezes.

The man sneezes, then returns to his meal.

“S’k-eed-” Junpei swallows his mouthful. Thank God. “So kid...got a name?”

“Itsuki,” Goro utters, the name leaving his lips quickly. No matter how much time has passed, the name has yet to come naturally to him.

“That, like, your first name? Last name?”

“Itsuki Saito.”

Junpei nods with a hum. He digs back into his meal. “Gotta eat now or your noodles’ll get soggy.”

Goro looks at his ramen. He goes to push it aside, but his stomach betrays him with a gurgle. Begrudgingly, he picks up his chopsticks and starts eating.

He catches Junpei’s satisfied grin from the corner of his eye. “Good, right? First time I came here, my buddy couldn’t wait to take me. He’s a beef bowl finatic, but he’s just as much of a ramen lover too.”

“Uh huh.” Goro spares a glance at the businessman again to ensure he’s minding his own business. “And you’re dragging me along with you because…?”

“Well, you obviously got no place to go.” Junpei puts up a hand right as Goro readies a response, and slurps down the rest of his broth with inhuman speed. Goro prays (just a little) that he chokes on it, purely out of spite. Unfortunately, no one above seems to have heard him. Junpei sets his bowl down with a _clank_ , then ceremoniously burps.

“You’re filthy.”

Junpei shrugs. “I’mma guy. You get it, right?”

Goro just glares. “You have no place in my business. Give me back my bag.”

“Hold your horses! I just wanna talk. Make sure you’re good and all.”

“ _Why?_ ” It comes out strained, his energy spent and his patience evaporating. All Goro wants is to be left alone to his own devices, but no one that has entered his life recently seems to understand that. “It’s utterly ridiculous how long you’ve been forcing me along, even when you made it clear you have your own plans.”

The look Junpei gives him makes his stomach turn. There’s something to his knit brows and small frown that makes Goro feel as if he’s being scolded. Or worse yet, pitied. “Has no one ever just looked out for you kid?”

In a matter of minutes, Junpei Iori has encroached on territory Goro has never let anyone cross. He looks downwards at his bowl, spine rigid.

Junpei sighs. “I thought not. Y’know I kinda get it.” He leans over the bar, trying to meet Goro’s eyes, but Goro won’t let him. “I never had any parents that were really there supporting me. Had a good group of friends, though. They were a real help making me who I am today. And, uh, heh...there’s my wife too.”

The wistfulness in his voice annoys Goro further.

“I thought about running away from home once, when I was younger. And stupid. And had, like, no money. Got all the way on the train before I chickened out...you stuck it out longer than I did.”

“I’m not running from anything,” Goro mutters. “You’ve read me wrong.”

“Nah, I don’t think so.” It’s his casual tone that finally gets Goro to face him. There’s a sappy smile on Junpei’s face he wants to wash off with the broth left in his bowl. “Not the smartest guy in the world, but I know a liar when I see one. Well, not _always_ , but...I don’t think I’m wrong here.”

There’s a faint buzz, and Junpei finally releases Goro form his gaze. He pulls out his phone, and the light in his eyes fades away. “My friend’s here. Doesn’t want to come in, though. Guess I’ll pay now.”

As Junpei digs out his wallet, Goro’s duffel, held hostage by his dangling feet, is left unprotected. Goro leans forward in his seat, waiting for the opportune time to slip out and nab it, before Junpei stands. Too busy fuming over the lost opportunity, Goro doesn’t notice Junpei reaching for his duffel until the man is holding it out for him.

“Listen, I know I’m just some stranger who woke you up on the bus. But I’m willing to help you out if you need it. Even if it’s just a place to spend the night. I’m not a weirdo, or a pervert, I promise. Just...someone who’s been in your shoes.”

The hot pulses of anger running through Goro’s chest shift into something stickier. It lodges itself in the back of his throat, but he effortlessly swallows it down. He yanks his duffel back into his arms. “The only one who’s been in my shoes are me.”

It’s not the answer Junpei wanted, clearly. His face falls, his shoulders drooping as if weighed down by an unseen object. “Okay. I get it. Gotta figure things out on your own.” He smiles again. “Offer still stands if we happen to run into each other again, ‘kay?”

Goro just scoffs. He busies himself with searching through his duffel. Everything is where it should be (including the phone). Not that he would particularly care if something were amiss.

When he looks up again, Junpei is gone.

Goro...honestly hadn’t expected him to leave with so little a fight.

The shock only lasts a moment. There are still far too many people in Ogikubo for his liking. That businessman has yet to dismiss himself as anything but suspicious, too. Goro makes sure Junpei has fully covered their meals (which he has), and slips out into the night.

Not many people have escaped death. The whole point of death, afterall, is that it comes for everyone in the end. It’s the only shared human experience, and Goro hasn’t paid his dues.

Don’t worry. Death makes sure to send Goro his bill in the form of a golden-eyed, white-haired child.

She’s waiting for Goro in the alleyway he’s decided to cut through to avoid the nightlife. Vacant buildings flank him on all sides. Their windows are soulless, no longer filling a purpose except to take up space.

When he spots her, he halts abruptly.

Lavenza. Yes, Goro remembers the name. Just barely. She had proven useful in their quest to stop that ludacris Dr. Maruki. The lingering amount of respect Goro holds for her all that keeps him from stopping in his tracks and turning around.

He’ll soon come to regret not burning their bridge, which was more of a peculiar-looking stick than anything else.

“You seem to be in good health, Goro Akechi. He who shares the infinite space of the number zero.”

Goro keeps his gaze steady. Betraying his thoughts will do him no good here. He’s learned to tread carefully in situations he has little to no agency in. The hard way, he might add. And in matters dealing with personas, he must tread extra carefully.

“It’s quite a surprise to find you here,” he admits. “Though I have no interest in dealing with you. I’m preoccupied at the moment. As well as for the rest of my life.”

Lavenza takes a good, long look at him. She sizes Goro up too quickly for his liking. “There is a matter I need to discuss with you, regarding my trickster.”

A familiar inferno burns in Goro’s chest. It’s a fire that never quite seems to go dormant, no matter how hard he tries to suppress it. “I want no part in whatever shenanigans he’s a part of.”

He brushes past her, adjusting his gloves. Call it a tick, or foolish anxiety over having thrown one away to the wrong person. He makes sure each pair he owns isn’t missing its other half. His footsteps bounce off the alley walls, steady with the pounding of his heart, when Lavenza decides to break his tempo.

“He is not a part of anything currently. He is missing.”

Goro does not mean to stop walking. He surely doesn’t mean for his breath to catch in his throat.

Finally, the idiot seems to have bitten off more than he can chew.

Goro grits his teeth, turning back around.

“What do you want me to do about it?”

Calmly (though with a slight furrow of her brow), Lavenza opens her tome and produces a set of loose papers from its bindings. She holds them out for Goro to take. “I believe you have the skills required to find them. I would greatly appreciate your help.”

Goro spats, the fire spreading. “I don’t do that charade anymore. Don’t waste my time.”

“You didn’t hear me. I said ‘find _them_.’ He’s not the only one.”

She closes the distance between them and thrusts the papers into Goro’s gut (which is about as high as she can reach). Goro takes them, if only to keep them from fanning out across the pavement. Too much of a hassle to clean up, for either of them.

Spread along each page is the picture of a missing individual and a brief spattering of personal details. A man with silver hair is on top, though besides the weathered look in his eyes, he is hardly considered to be anywhere near old age. He is only twenty-five.

Yu Narukami. The name holds no immediate relevance to Goro. He moves on.

Teddie Hanamura. An...interesting fellow, given the name alone. There’s little to no information regarding his background, besides an obvious forged birth certificate. The expression on his ID is oddly cheerful. Goro decides to check the next person.

Hamuko Arisato. Age twenty-seven. Again, the name holds no relevance. Seemingly normal, appearance wise. Auburn hair, fair skin, no discernable read emotion-wise given her neutral expression. Goro doesn’t believe he’s ever seen someone look so blank. Besides the surviving victims of his mental shutdowns.

Moving on.

Finally, Akira Kuruso. A face Goro has dreaded ever seeing again. Just as smug and aggravating as he remembers. Last Goro had heard, he’d gone back home and never stepped back into Shibuya again.

Though, he highly doubts that’s true. A whole year and some has passed. No doubt Kurusu has gotten himself wrapped up in another adventure or two since then.

“Formed any connections yet?” Lavenza aska. Her voice is steady, but the urgency remains.

Goro exhales through his nose. “Not from a glance. I’m guessing you know more than what’s on the page?”

Lavenza nods. “Most of them were our guests once. Though Hanamura is the exception, as far as I am aware.”

“You realize I was never formally invited into your Velvet Room, correct? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Lavenza cocks her head. “I thought...Surely, my trickster told you. He knew you for so long, and you were so deeply connected.”

Goro does not like the way she phrased that. “Unfortunately, no. And now he’s missing, so there’s no way for me to know.” A moment passes, and a thought occurs. A horrible horrible thought.

His phone.

With hands that are not at all shaking, he retrieves the cell from his duffel. “Unless...he left something for me.”

Lavenza’s eyes brighten, and a wave of dread washes over Goro. He breaks into a cold sweat.

“No.” he shoves the phone back into his bag. “No. I want no part of this. This doesn’t involve me.”

“Please, Goro Akechi.” With those big, beady eyes, even Goro has trouble refusing to hear her out. “There are not many I can rely on to find them. I need your help.”

“But you do admit there are others?’

She nods, somewhat hesitantly. “Yes, but...it is difficult for me to meet with them. I trust if you do this-”

“No-”

“-you will run into them eventually. If you haven’t already. My other siblings have already sent out their own detectives.”

A flash of red and a throbbing in his heart, Goro snaps from his panic and into something far more hostile. “I am not some Prince Detective to be paraded around for your amusement. Or anyone’s.”

“That’s not what I’m asking of you. I simply need you to utilize your skills and your intellect. For his sake, at least…” She runs a hand down the spine of her compendium, taking a breath. “I will admit that I am worried what these disappearances mean. For your world, and for mine.”

The fate of mankind always seems to be at risk in one way or another. It’s not the deciding factor for Goro, but it certainly is something to consider. He can’t do what he came for if his reality comes to an end.

“If I do this...I expect never to be asked of such favors again. Not even for him.”

Lavenza beams, her cheeks aglow. “I won’t bother you again. You may keep the documents. If you require my aid, simply ask.”

Goro is about to respond with how vague a task that is, but she’s already vanished into a ploom of blue starlight. He watches her fade along the moon’s edges, then looks down at the face in his hands.

“You bastard. Why can’t you just leave me alone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edit: class wasn’t cancelled, it was in another room :/


	3. Sanada

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goro investigates. Akihiko goes for a run.

Most often, the hardest part of a case is simply starting the investigation.

Laying out information, finding connections and parallels, determining a concrete timeline...well, Goro can only really do the foremost, and barely the latter. The documents gifted to him (on vintage, yellow paper, he observes) barely give him anything to go off of. None of his missing people have any glaring connection to one another, with the exception of Narukami and Hanamura. Another Hanamura is listed as Yu’s spouse, under the name Yosuke. That must mean the eccentric Teddie character is a relative of Narukami’s in some way. Most likely brother-in-law.

Besides that, there’s no other glaring paths for Goro to take. His deep dive has been nothing more than a wade through the shallow end of a nonexistent case.

What concerns him most is the date of the disappearances.

Teddie Hanamura was the first to be reported missing on February 3rd. No sign of foul play at his apartment, nor any evidence suggesting he left his place at all the night prior.

A week later, Hamuko Arisato vanished without a trace, leaving a distraught boyfriend behind in her stead. He had reported her missing February 10th. Once again, no signs of foul play, from outside involvement or her partner.

Then the timeline becomes far more staggered.

Yu Narukami is reported missing by his husband six months later. Once again, no foul play. No leads. A cold case from the beginning. Yosuke Hanamura is listed as being questioned, but has since been found uninvolved.

Finally, a month prior to Gor arriving back in Shibuya, Akira Kurusu disappears. With no connections to the other victims, he leaves Goro with mounting frustration and a shit ton of work to do.

Goro spreads out his documents along the concrete and kneels before them. The light from the window above him is just enough to make out what’s printed on the pages. He’s been over the facts enough to make his head spin.

Why is he even doing this? The vague threat of the world coming to an end surely wouldn’t have swayed him that much, right? He’s _not_ doing it for Kurusu’s sake, that’s for sure. The asshole just happens to be involved, is all.

Goro sighs, shuffling the documents back into a neat stack. It’s cold feet. From doing what he bothered coming all this way to do. The finality of it must have finally gotten to him. No matter; he’ll fix whatever mess was created here and move on just as quickly.

For now, it’s late. He needs shelter for the night and a jumping off point for tomorrow. There’s the obvious place to start, in a little cafe on the way to the station, and the less daunting.

The light above him shuts off. Goro makes his way to the apartment of Ahikiko Sanada.

There’s little to no activity in the area once Goro arrives, those loitering about finally heading home for the night. Every window is pitch black, with the exception of, you guessed it, Sanada’s. A night-owl, or a heavy sleeper. Goro doesn’t prefer to leave the lights on himself when he sleeps, but he’s fallen unconscious suddenly once or twice before.

He’s presented with a choice: take advantage of the opportunity before him and gain new information now, or hope he catches Sanada before he leaves the following morning. Sleep beckons him, but Goro’s nerves will keep him plenty awake. He picks the first option.

The stairs blend into the darkness, Sanada’s light the only thing illuminating Goro’s path. He steps carefully, not wanting to trip and set Sanada off guard. He has no idea what kind of person he is, or his involvement in his girlfriend’s fate.

As Goro climbs higher, he begins to make out voices. Muffled by the walls, they carry a discussion littered with awkward pauses. Doesn’t seem like either party is enjoying it. Through the window curtain, two figures appear to be sitting.

They rise suddenly when Goro knocks. The shorter of the two figures steps cautiously forth. Goro takes a step back as the doorknob turns, adjusting his cap to look slightly more presentable.

A man with uncannily white hair eyes him over with a stern gaze. “Is there something I can help you with so late?”

“Akihiko Sanada, I presume?” Goro comes out right with it. Why the hell not? It _is_ late.

Sanada closes the door slightly, boxing out the opening with the side of his body. “How do you know my name? More importantly, what do you want?”

Goro wants to cut right to the chase. He wants to pull the document with Hamuko Arisato’s face plastered to it and shove it right in Sanada’s. He wants answers and to make a hasty retreat, so hopefully he has time to find a comfortable enough bench to sleep on tonight.

His plans change, however, with the appearance of another man behind Sanada.

“Saito-kun?”

Fucking hell.

Goro backs away, but Sanada is already opening the door further, allowing Junpei Iori to step into his world yet again. “What are you doing here?” He grins insufferably. “Did you come to take me up on my offer? But how did you even find me?”

Shit. Shit shit shit. Goro stammers out the best excuse his brain will supply. “I...lied earlier. I do have family here. I came looking for them.”

Junpei cocks a brow. “Oh, really?” He’s totally convinced. What a simpleton. “Why didn’t ya just say so before? You had me all worried about you, not gonna lie.”

Sanada smirks, the cold shell encasing him revealing its cracks. “You can’t just take in people like they’re lost puppies, Junpei.”

Junpei crosses his arms with a huff. “Look at the kid! If Ken came to you lookin’ like that, you’d turn him away?”

Snanada drops his smirk and shakes his head. “Anyway, that still begs the question: why come to me...Saito-kun?”

It’s a new role Goro has to slip into, so he gets his story straight fast. “I was told I had a cousin, by my mother. She...passed somewhat recently, so I came looking for her. I don’t know much about her, only that her name is Arisato. Apparently, you two were dating?”

The light in Sanada’s gaze turns into a supernova, expanding and bursting into a flurry of emotions, before going completely dark. His gaze falls, lips twisting into a tight grimace. “Yeah...we were together. You heard what happened to her...I’m guessing?”

Goro nods. “I wanted to hear it from you. I’ve come all this way. She can’t be dead.”

He adds a bit of grit to his tone at the end. Gives himself that troubled edge that convinces adults kids like him are blind to what they want to be true. Makes him appear less suspicious, and more manipulable.

In reality, the opposite is true.

The mirth in Junpei’s expression has left. He puts a hand to Sanada’s shoulder. “Akihiko…”

The man in question composes himself. He shrugs off Junpei’s hand, meeting Goro’s eyes. “It’s been awhile since I’ve been asked about her...feels like I’m being interrogated again.”

He says it like a joke, with the punchline being an actual punch to the gut. Sanada steps back into his apartment and gestures Goro forward.

“Make yourself at home.”

The coffee Sanada makes is bitter. Not the good kind of bitter, where the flavor spikes the tongue and sends goosebumps down Goro’s spine. The kind of bitter that tastes too close to battery acid and cheap convenience store joe. Actually, judging the size of the apartment, that judgement might not be too far off.

Goro misses the days when his pallet was spoiled rotten, and a certain someone knew exactly how he liked his brew to be made. It’s obvious from the coffee’s temperature it was brewed sometime before he ever climbed the steps outside.

They’re gathered around the living room, Sanada and Junpei on a worn couch, and Goro in a chair he dragged from the dining table. There’s a stench to his clothes he hadn’t even noticed until he stepped inside and smelled what actual cleanliness was like. He should take up the offer for a shower if it presents itself.

“Where would you like me to start?’ Sanada asks, though his voice is already weak. Like he’s already been knocked out of the ring and he’s offering to go back in.

Goro sets his coffee aside, not all that willing to take another sip. “You didn’t kill her, right?”

Junpei gives more of a reaction than Sanada, leaping a bit forward in his seat. “Hey, maybe don’t come right out with it-”

“I’m an adult, Junpei,” Sanada reminds him. “I can handle a few questions. No...I didn’t kill her. I promise you that.”

Promises don’t mean much in a criminal investigation, but Goro supposes this investigation hasn’t become that formal yet. “What do you remember of the day she disappeared?”

Sanada clasps his hands together. “I left for a run that morning, around a quarter to six.”

“AM or PM?”

“Mornin.’ I always go as early as I can. Gets my blood pumping for the day.”

Why does Goro feel like he’s about to get a fitness lecture? “How was Arisato acting that morning? Did she appear off the night prior?”

“She was sleeping.” A faraway look settles itself on Sanada’s face. “She normally gets up when I get back. It’s hardly ever she wakes up when I leave...But no, she seemed fine. Just...quiet. She gets like that sometimes, so I didn’t think much of it…”

He presses his hands to his chin.

“I can’t remember...after all this time...if I kissed her goodbye that morning…”

Silence falls. Goro takes a breath to end it, but Junpei shakes his head. They give Sanada some time to collect himself again.

“When I got back,” he continues, “She wasn’t there. I did get back a bit later, so I just assumed she had to run off to work. She didn’t leave me a note or anything, though. Not even a text. When she didn’t come back that night, I knew something was wrong.”

Sanada sits up with a sigh.

“That’s all I know. I’m sorry. It’s not much of a story, and I know you wanted some form of closure. I don’t have anything for you.”

He’s right. It’s not much of a story, besides Arisato’s “quiet” behavior. There has to be something there.

“Were you plannin’ on stayin’ with your cousin?” Junpei asks, breaking Goro’s train of thought.

He withholds his temper and salvages his act. “She was my only option. It’s alright. I knew it was a longshot. I won’t believe she’s just gone, though.”

The smile on Sanada’s face is absolutely dreadful. “It’s alright. You’ll accept it soon enough.”

“ _Akihiko_.”

It’s the closest Goro has seen Junpei lose his cool, even after all he said to him that afternoon. He must admit, the tone is unsettling when wielded by him.

Junpei nudges Sanada’s leg. “You don’t know that. C’mon, man. It’s Hamuko we’re talkin’ about. She’s tougher than our whole gang added together. Wherever she is, she’s taking care of herself. And when they find her, you’ll be sorry for thinking that way.”

Sanada shakes his head. “Not tonight, Junpei. You all say the same thing every time you visit...It’s alright if you lie to me, but don’t lie to the kid.”

Junpei flinches as if struck. He tips the brim of his cat down, limbs stiff as he stands. “That’s enough for tonight. We gotta get set up for the night. You got an extra pair of sheets, man?”

Sananda gives a low hum. He stands as well, stride sluggish as he exits the room.

The two of them are left behind with his absence. Junpei’s exhale draws itself out for long Goro wonders if it’s ever going to end.

“Sorry, Saito-kun. He...he hasn’t been himself for a while.” Suddenly he brightens. “So! You take the couch and I got the floor?”

Goro blanches. “Beg your pardon?”

“You. The couch. Me. The floor. Seems reasonable?”

“I’m not staying the night.”

“Well, where else you gonna go?”

Goro glances at the couch. Sunken spots and mysterious stains aside...it does sound far more appealing than a park bench. “Fine.”

Junpei smiles. “Don’t worry. I don’t snore.”

Junpei, in fact, does snore.

It’s not incredibly noisy, but God if it doesn’t take a few minutes to get used to. Goro contemplates smothering him with a pillow, but with how fate seems determined to string them together, he’d probably come back as a ghost to haunt him.

Sanada holes himself up in his room, barely uttering the two a goodnight. Goro waits until he’s absolutely sure the man is asleep before raiding his kitchen cabinets. Just as every junk drawer has one, Goro finds a phone charger that fits his phone.

He plugs it in by the outlet beside the couch, and tucks it underneath.

There’s nothing left for him to do until morning. He’s sure Sanada has given him all the information he needs to move forward; it's just a matter of deciphering what that information is. He thinks back to the timeline, and of Arisato’s behavior, but ultimately comes up short.

Sleep consuming him, he vaguely tries to recall if anything significant happened the day Hamuko Arisato disappeared. Something he would have heard on the news. He can’t seem to remember anything out of the ordinary February 10th.

He’s just closing his eyes when it occurs to him. February 10th was just a regular day. As was February 3rd, when Teddie Hamanura vanished.

But it wasn’t for everyone.

That was the day Goro Akechi should have died a second time.


	4. Station Square

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Junpei eats. Goro investigates. Akihiko goes for a run. What you would expect of them, but not the way you think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried so hard to get this chapter out on October 4th, but college had other plans :( anyway uhh happy late shinjiro death day. I miss you everyday baby boy ;~; <3

_ He dreams of windmills. _

_ A steel railing corralling him upon a rooftop. Goro’s hands curl loosely over the bars, fingertips chilled enough to numb. He assumes the hands he sees are his own, given the senses his consciousness have allowed him. Ocean surrounds whatever building he’s atop of, though he can’t hear the waves. _

“Not here.”

_ The voice is too garbled to distinguish the owner, but just clear enough to make out its words. Suddenly, the world shifts, the raining ripped from beneath Goro’s hands. He reels back but his fingertips are taught in the momentum. When he pulls them back, droplets of blood are splattered like paint over his palms. _

_ A supermarket, with suntanned walls and dingy outdoor furniture. Only appearing so because it’s outlived the decade it was built in. The plaza is empty, save a flickering television behind the food court counter. _

“Not yet.”

_ Station Central, guarded off by neon police tape. Officers poised like chess pieces flank the scene of the crime. The world appears washed-out, save a navy cap on one officer’s head. _

“Start here.”

_ A hand reaches out just past his shoulder before a darkness consumes them both. _

Goro wakes up just as tired as the night before.

His spine strains with the faintest movement, cracking with a loud _ pop _ as he finally sits up. He groans, wiping his bangs out of his eyes. They’re greasy; he never did get that shower.

Faintly, he catches a waft of something cooking from the kitchen. The low murmur of a simmering pan, mixed with the dull haze of smoke, suggests whatever’s being prepared is almost done. Junpei is absent from the floor, a crumpled heap of blankets left in his stead.

There won’t be much time Goro has to himself. Quickly, he leans over the side of the couch. To his relief, the charger has not been moved. He yanks the cord and reels his phone into his lap, like a starving man thankful for a hook on his line.

Once in his hands, however, Goro freezes.

His thumb hovers over the power button, with his index finger already posed to swipe. With one click, he’s inviting something back into his life he had been so hasty to leave behind.

_ It’s for the case _ , he tells himself.  _ A case you don’t really want to solve. A case you definitely shouldn’t have taken on. So really, this is your own damn fault. _

Goro takes a deep breath, pressing down.

He shuts his eyes the moment light peers in from the back of the screen. What is he so afraid of? Is he really so spineless he stresses over text messages like some pining teenager?

“Hey, you’re up!”

Goro does  _ not _ squeak, nor does he jump and damn near toss his phone across the room. He shoves his cell between the couch cushions before glaring at Junpei.

“Thanks to you. Are you the one burning something in the kitchen?”

Junpei’s hair is pointing a million different directions, as if it were a starfish stuck to his scalp. He gasps, crossing his arms with offense. “I didn’t  _ burn _ anything, wise guy. And trust me; my cooking is a helluva lot better than Akihiko-senpai’s. Omelets are in the kitchen when you’re hungry.”

Goro peels off his covers, skin prickling when exposed to the crisp, morning air. “Is Sanada-san up as well?”

Junpei shakes his head. “Off taking a jog. He’ll be back soon, so you better get your fill before he eats it all. You can bring your phone to the table if you want. We’re not gonna confiscate it like helicopter parents or somethin.’”

Heat rises to Goro’s cheeks, yet his blood chills. An interesting phenomena. He says nothing, digging his phone out of its hiding hole as Junpei walks away.

_ No use being so dramatic about it _ , Goro decides. Yet he has to count to three before he’s able to open his phone.

A date, a time, and no new messages.

An odd feeling replaces Goro’s apprehension. Something he can’t quite put a name to.

Perhaps the closest descriptor is disappointment.

The omelets are well seasoned, if a bit overdone.

Goro cleans off his plate without complaint, yet is unable to eat away his chagrin. His phone juts against his hip like a hot iron. If he pulls it out of his pocket, it may burn him. Similar to the eggs Junpei is trying to wolf down.

“Ow ow ow!” He swallows with a grimace. “Hmmm...nothin’ better than eggs. ‘Cept ramen. Ramen’s pretty good.”

It’s like there’s not a single cell in his brain. Goro grabs his plate and wanders to the sink. There’s not much left to rinse off, given he basically licked it clean. He doubts the men he bunked with last night have the forethought to swab for his DNA. Sanada is too lost in his head to see through Goro’s lies, and Junpei is...Junpei.

“Y’didn’t hav’tah do’at.”

“Are you seriously talking with food in your mouth?”

Another grimace. “You’re pretty rude, you know that right?”

Goro shrugs. “Blunt, maybe. I want to know what Arisato-san’s daily routine was. Where she went to shop. Where she worked. What train she took on the way home everyday.”

Junpei frowns, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, you probably wanna wait for your cousin-in-law to come back. He’d know far more than I do.”

Goro doesn’t want to wait. There’s a rooftop, a supermarket, and a train station he desperately wants to visit. He hasn’t thought much of what he dreamt of last night, if only because his realization before bed troubled him so. “How soon until he’s back for his run again? I’ll just go meet him before he’s back.”

“Should be back any minute now.” Junpei checks the time on his phone. “...actually, he should’ve been back by now. Lemme call him.”

The phone dial booms in Goro’s ears. Sanada’s voicemail completely blows out his eardrums.

“I’ll try again. He might’ve put it on silent.”

Voicemail, yet again. Junpei hums, his knee starting to bounce.

“I mean, he’s probably fine. But…I dunno. Our group of friends haven’t had the best of luck. I’m gonna go look for him. You don’t gotta worry, though.”

He’s barely out of his seat before Goro has his duffel slung over his shoulder.

“Let’s hurry.”

He can’t steer Junpei towards the station deliberately. Instead, he plays the role of a tourist; taking the most crowded walkways, going against the flow of traffic, acting as incompetent as he can. Eventually, Junpei decides it’ll just be quicker to take a train to wherever Sanada might be to avoid the morning rush. An outstanding move. One a toddler would have made but still.

Just as Goro suspected, the area is roped off with police tape.

Ogling bystanders congest the limited space still available to walk though. Curious murmurs worm their way into Goro’s ear. He listens closely, edging towards the heart of the crowd.

“Taxi driver?”

“Probably a robbery-”

“-clear this out, already? People’re trying to get to wo-”

“Sorry! Just tryin’ to get out of the way! Hey, there’s enough room for all of us!”

Christ, Goro can’t hear anything over Junpei’s pleasantries. “ _ Shh! _ ”

Junpei starts. “You’re shushing  _ me? _ ”

“ _ Yes. _ ” He pushes his way further through the crowd, until finally he breaches the open air.

What he saw last night was a nightmare, and it’s come to life.

A man lays prone on the concrete, a shock blanket placed pitifully overtop of him. If not for how badly he’s shivering, the man could easily be mistaken for a corpse. His skin is two shades paler than it should be, the dark circles under his eyes sunken below the bone.

He may be dressed as a taxi driver, but Goro could mistake Takuto Maruki for anyone other than himself.

The world fades away, blurring at its edges. Goro chest heaves, his lungs betraying him. He doesn’t know when his composure became so hard to control.

The only one able to reach him is Junpei, who gives a drawn-out sigh.

“Poor guy. God, I haven’t seen anyone that bad off since...hey, you alright?”

“I know him.”

“You  _ do? _ ”

_ Shit. _ He messed up, too caught in his own haze.

“I-no! I-”

“Pardon, sirs.”

Goro clamps his mouth shut, no longer able to trust himself. Choosing not to react is far more suspicious than looking the way of the officer not five feet away from them. Being around Junpei must have some kind of psychological effect on his intellect.

In the few seconds Goro has before the officer approaches then, he should be formulating a plan of escape. Already have booked his mental train ticket and be halfway across Japan by now.

Instead, he can’t tear his eyes away from the officer’s navy cap.

Junpei straightens himself up, as if he were responsible for Maruki’s condition. “Can we, uh, help you, sir?”

The officer gives them a cool stare. With their cliché detective regalia, Goro can only assume they’re the most experienced member of their force or someone fresh out of training. There’s a certain glint to their eyes that he recognizes, partially in his own press photos. The ones where the camera people made him pretend to act out a case.

A wise guy. Just what Goro needed right now.

“I believe I overheard one of you mention having a relationship with the victim. Care to elaborate for me?’

“Relationship?” Junpei balks. “I’m a married man!”

“That’s not what they mean,” Goro hisses. “Sorry, you misheard us.”

The officer smiles, and Goro can’t help but feel as if he’s been put in his place. “I don’t believe I have. There’s been a string of robberies in the area as of late, with suspects that have yet to be identified. Perhaps I’ve just done that myself?”

It’s clear they’re trying to box the two of them in. Unluckily for the officer, Goro isn’t willing to go down so easily. “Rather foolish of you to call out two potential robbers in broad daylight, surrounded by a mass of people nonetheless. We could have weapons on us for all you know.”

Junpei gulps. “Hey, Saito-?”

“However, we are innocent. And I don’t believe this is a robbery at all,” Goro finishes. It feels good to be in power again. “That man’s uniform doesn’t appear to have been damaged, nor are there any obvious signs of a struggle on his person. If anything, he must have just fallen incredibly ill. The next time you accuse anyone of a crime, it would be best to know exactly what crime you’re accusing them of first.”

The officer stares him down, saying nothing. Goro is tempted to hold his breath, but he’s sure Junpei is doing that for him already.

Finally, the officer gives a laugh. Their eyes soften. “Impressive, I must say. Though, as the person who stole my reputation as a detective prince, I really should expect no less.”

Goro has won, but at too great a cost.

He backs into Junpei, who instinctively grips his shoulders. “You know this guy too? Jesus, you’re shaking-”

Goro elbows him.

“ _ Ouch! _ God, I try  _ so hard _ to be nice-”

“What do you want with me?” Goro interrupts, his voice like a knife.

The officer holds out their hands. “There’s no need to worry. Unless, not until you give me reason to, Goro Akechi.”

Junpei’s hand falls. “Akechi…?”

The officer puts a finger to their lips. “Not here. If you’d please, Akechi-kun, I would appreciate it if you came with me to answer a couple of questions. I may not look like it, but I’m rather surprised to have met a dead man today.”

“ _ Dead man?! _ ” Junpei spins Goro around to face him. “Kid, what the hell have you gotten yourself into?! I thought you were just-! That’s why you looked so-!”

“Let me go.”

“What did you do? W-Why were you looking for Hamuko-?”

“Let. Me.  _ Go! _ ”

Goro rips himself out of Junpei’s grasp and, with the advantage of his youth, dives under the police tape. He tears it across the station square, nearly slipping on the early morning dew coating the ground. Someone gives a cry and a rush of officers give chase.

There was no other way. Wherever Akira is, Goro will just have to trust in him to get himself out. He won’t throw away his life for whatever the hell is going on here.

Tragically, in Goro’s haste, he failed to account for all the obstacles in his way. His foot catches on a limp hand, and he goes sprawling beside Maruki’s prone form.

The therapist gives a labored groan. Goro knows he won’t be able to rise to his feet fast enough before he’s apprehended. He starts crawling, his panic turning him crazed.

Then suddenly, everything is quiet.

No footsteps. No barking orders. Just the wisp of a light breeze tussling his bangs. Similar to his dream, the world around him blurs like a smeared oil canvas.

Goro struggles to rise, knees shaking. His head  _ pounds _ . He swears his skull is going to be split in two.

But just as the pain causes him to cry out, it fades away. When it does, he finds the world more defined. A gentle tint of pastel lingers across every structure, giving it the solidity it was missing before. Though it is still blatantly apparent whatever hell dimension Goro has just so happened to stumble upon is not the world he was just in.

“What the  _ hell? _ ”

Goro turns. Apparently, even in hell, he can’t escape Junpei Iori. He’s not the only one who’s followed him to another realm. The officer with the navy cap looks around, a hand firmly clasped over their holster.

There’s one more person with them. Just across the square, dressed in regalia appropriate of a fitness junky, is Sanada. He steps forward, movements lucid, eyes staring upwards.

“That’s not supposed to be there…”

Goro follows his gaze, and is faced with a sight not even Mementos could rival. A towering structure of a dozen architectural styles mashed together into a horrific and stunning feat of mankind. Only, if mankind created such a thing, it surely wasn’t meant to turn out the way it did. Up and up and up it goes, the top of the tower merely an illusion.

A sinister aura envelops the area. Goro’s skin crawls.

“What did you do this time, Doctor Maruki?”

He looks for the man in question , but finds he isn’t there.


	5. Tartarus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanada lectures. Shirogane shields. Goro is reminded of what he's getting himself into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beat p4g for the second time recently and may I just say it is still really really good
> 
> also i'm going to update the tags soon to make them less cluttered/change some plot warnings that haven't even happened yet! for instance, I'm going to close ranks on ships i want and all that jazz. don't worry, akeshu is here to stay
> 
> and thank yall for all the support!! it's hard to find time to write with all my school work but i'm having so much fun with this story :)

“We called it Tartarus.”

There’s not many ways to go about a mysterious tower appearing out of nowhere besides grouping up and gathering information. Goro and his forced acquaintances have done just so, coming together mere yards away from Tartarus’ entrance.

“It was created in an experiment with shadows gone horribly wrong,” Sanada continues. “From it came thirteen shadows, all based on one of the major arcanas. They were all defeated years ago, and the tower disappeared.”

“And now all our hard work has gone up in smoke,” Junpei sulks. He tugs off his cap and runs a shaky hand through his air. Evidently, he’s not too enthusiastic about repeating the process.

“We won’t know the state of Tartarus until we’ve stepped inside,” their officer friend reminds them. They gaze upwards towards the highest level. “It’s possible only the tower has returned and not the shadows themselves.”

Junpei balks. “Y-You actually wanna go in there?! Uh...I never did catch your name.”

The officer looks back at him. “Detective Naoto Shirogane. Inaba Police Force, on temporary assignment in Shibuya.”

“‘Kay, cool. Shirogane-san-have we met? Pardon my French, but that place is a fucking death trap.”

“That wasn’t French…?” Sanada mumbles to himself.

“The shadows in there aren’t like anything you’ve ever seen! The one at the top, you ask? Death. It was straight up Death Incarnate.” Junpei stops to take a breath. “It wasn’t...it wasn’t a pretty battle. And if that thing’s waiting for us right now, the four of us certainly aren’t gonna be able to take it down. We’ve got no weapons, no evokers, and-wait. Are we all-?”

“Person users?” Goro finishes. “I believe so. It’s the only logical explanation for how we all became caught in this mess. Though if that’s true, it appears our powers come from very different sources.”

Shirogane eyes Goro with great interest. “I came to the same conclusion myself. My group of person users dealt with beings that manipulated truth. There were...also some other scenarios that don’t match up with your storming of Tartarus, um…?”

“Junpei Iori. So wait, you had a different final boss?! W-What about you?”

Goro crosses his arms. “I wasn’t there for it, but apparently it was a being that could control the masses through their twisted desires, based on their cognitive versions of reality.”

Sanada and Junpei cock their heads.

Goro sighs. “In the simplest terms, a false god that could brainwash the public.”

Shirogane eyes him for a moment longer before turning to Junpei. “What did you mean by evoker, might I ask?”

Junpei looks to Sanada. “It’s ahhhhhhh…”

“A tool,” Sanada supplies. “For summoning a persona.”

Shirogane nods. “So our methods for summoning were different as well. For us, we had to crush a tarot card in our hand...it sounds sillier out loud than in practice. What about you, Akechi-kun?”

Being referred to by his name sends a harsh chill down his spine. It no longer seems to fit, like the water in a pipe expanding in the cold. He struggles to respond, jaw tight as if wanting to withhold his reply.

“We...tore off a mask. That was all.”

Junpei cups a hand around his face and repeatedly pulls it away, clearly trying to mimic what Goro has described. Eventually, he stops. “Akechi-kun, huh? Got any other names I should know of?”

For some inexplicable reason, a twinge of guilt shoots through Goro’s stomach. It’s quick to diminish, though that doesn’t change the fact that it was there. “Apologies, but no. I do not.”

“Asshole.” Junpei shrugs off his annoyance. “Well, you’ve probably got your reasons.” It’s not important anyway.”

“Actually,” Shirogane interjects, “I believe your year-long ruse is of some importance. For someone with an impressive amount of publicity, you managed to fool the entire world into believing you were dead. I wonder for what purpose.”

It was easy when Goro never actually had to fool anyone. Then he wasn’t as dead and it did become considerably harder. Technical aspects aside, Goro begins wracking up a number of excuses. He feels the first bead of sweat roll down his brow when-

_ BOOM! _

A small tremor rocks the earth, causing Goro to tremble. He snaps his attention to the origin of the blast, finding a bloom of smoke billowing from one of the middlest levels of Tartarus. Flecks of debris grow in size until they’re only mere feet above them.

There’s no time to run. Goro shields his face from the rain of glass shards. Suddenly, he’s shoved forward, knees scraping against the pavement. And then-

“ _ PERSONA! _ ”

Goro dares a glance up as Shirogane fires a round into the air. He reaches for them, grabbing a fistfull of their pantleg. Just above his line of sight, a spark ignites and light envelopes them all.

When Goro’s eyesight adjusts, he finds himself miraculously unharmed.

A weight is lifted off his back, and he realizes dumbly that it had been Junpei who had pushed him. Both he and Sanada are no worse for wear, if a bit winded. They’re caught in a state of awe.

Who could blame them, really? As a persona user himself, Goro has to admit there’s no greater fascination than witnessing another user’s persona materialize out of thin air.

Hovering above Shirogane with a shield of energy at its back is a persona no bigger than Goro himself. Blonde hair swings delicately between a set of silver wings, the lapels of a red suit jacket swaying in the breeze it’s created. It holds an elegant sword across its chest, as if to block other incoming projectiles.

The persona looks back at Shirogane, its face nothing more than a dark faceplate.

“Y-Yamato Sumeragi…” Shirogane pants.

The persona nods. It vanishes with a graceful  _ poof _ , and Shirogane collapses.

Sanada is careful to stay within the circle of glass and broken stone as he rushes to their aid. He kneels beside them. “Shirogane-san? Shirogane-san, stay with us!”

The detective’s eyes flutter back open. “Sorry...I’m just a bit out of breath…”

“All say!” Junpei exclaims dumbly. “That was incredible! And so less fucked up than how we do it! W-What was that shield? I want one!”

Shirogane smirks, if a bit confused. “I learned it a long time ago...I forget what it’s called…”

The blush on their cheeks says otherwise.

Sanada holds out a hand and tries to help 

“Do you think you can stand?’ Sanada asks.

Shirogane props themself up on their elbows, wincing. “Give me a moment...perhaps…”

Sanada nods. “Well, at least we can summon our personas. Except me and Junpei’ll need an evoker, if we’re playing by the old rule book.”

Junpei’s face falls. “Aw man. Mitsuru-senpai has all those! You sayin’ we can’t get in on the action?”

“I thought I taught you how to spar once,” Sanada huffs. He rises to his feet.

“Uh, yeah. Like a decade ago. How was I supposed to remember all that?”

Goro stands up as well, brushing the dirt off his knees. He’ll have a pair of nasty scabs for a while, but with luck it won’t scar. Certainly a small price to pay for not being turned to shreds.

“We don’t have time for any kind of review.” Sanada points to the smoke still pouring out of Tartarus. “There’s something in there. Maybe shadows, maybe not. But if we’ve got personas...maybe there’ll be someone else in there with one too.”

Junpei gasps. “Hamuko?”

Sanada’s hand drops. “Don’t...don’t give me false hope, okay? Regardless of who, we owe it to everyone to get back in there.”

The  _ everyone we lost _ goes unsaid.

Junpei stands taller. “Yeah, I hear you.” he straightens his cap. “‘Sides, this might be the only way outta here. I gotta train to catch in a week, and I can’t afford to miss it.”

Sanada grins. “That’s right. Can’t keep Chidori waiting, can you?”

“Ugh,  _ no! _ God, if I miss the delivery, I’ll never forgive myself. Let’s get in there already and get this over with!”

With a hearty grunt, Shirogane manages to stand on their own. “Then we know our objective. I advise you all to follow behind me until we can find better means to defend ourselves. I only have so much ammunition.”

“We’ll most likely be abiding by the rules of Tartarus,” Goro remarks, and finds his voice a bit strangled. He hides whatever sappy feeling has come over him with a single cough. “Make sure to give us a quick run down should we run into trouble.”

“Bet we will.” Sanada balls his hands into tight fists. “You can count on us.”

And so they enter, Shirogane at the lead with Goro at the rear. Just as he steps foot under the front archway, a flash of black jarts out beyond his vision. He jumps, looking up with a start.

A silhouette with a flailing coattail disappears around the edge of the tower. Goro’s heart seizes in his chest.

He waits for the figure to reappear. For better or for worse, they are long gone.

“Akechi-kun!” Junpei calls from inside. “Don’t you dare think about splitting up!”

Goro is far too panicked to muster a snarky response. He stumbles inside, leaving the doors open behind him.


	6. Floor One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Junpei reminisces. Shirogane takes aim. Sanada comes to his senses.
> 
> Goro runs into a familiar face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOOOO!!! YEEEAAAHH BABY! THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!!!! Midterms are OVER!!!
> 
> Tags have been updated with unfunny jokes and a new relationship! You'll see why in this chapter ;)
> 
> We're almost to a thousand hits and I'm blown away. Thank you all so so so much for reading and for all the support!! I get so excited once I finally get a good handle on my assignments bc it means I get to work on this fic again. Thank you all so much for sticking with me and I hope you enjoy what's to come!

For years, Goro’s bucket list had consisted of one constant goal: to kill his father. This goal would drive his every desire and ultimately, call upon his death.

Since finding himself not so dead, however, a part of him as always wondered if he should start a new list. An _actual_ list. On that rhetorical list, he would have included a trip to the Greek Pantheon, one of the many historical sights he had always been so fascinated with as a child.

Exploring Tartarus is, in a way, the same exact thing. The blending of Doric, Corinthian, and Tuscan columns, along with the subtle gothic influence of the rest of the structure, really combines all the old temples into one. Though the dreary atmosphere is certainly a Tartarus original. It’s not exactly an environment a tourist would want to envelop themselves in.

“It’s remarkable,” Shirogane gasps, their voice echoing throughout the opening chamber. “To think this existed for a time without anyone’s knowledge.”

“Well, it only existed in the Dark Hour,” Junpei explains, unhelpfully.

“I beg your pardon?”

“The Dark Hour. A period of time between midnight and the start of the next day,” Akihiko provides. “It ended when the tower was brought down. The reason you don’t remember it is because, well…”

“Everyone but us got turned into coffins,” Junpei finishes.

Shirogane stares straight ahead. “I...see. I guess that answers my question.”

They pass through an archway, suddenly finding themselves in a wide-open room. The ceiling stretches far above to accommodate for a large stairway, at its peak a massive clock that has since been put out of commission. Its gears have rusted, some having come loose from their screws. Some have rolled down to lay idly around the room. Goro nudges one next to his foot, his reflection blurred.

Other things of note include what appears to be a circular lamp, no longer in use. Its darkened shell holds an inky void beneath it.

“Wow,” Junpei breaths. “I’m getting a bit nostalgic. And creeped out. Lotta memories, good and bad.” He beams pointing just a short ways ahead of them. “That’s where Fuuka awakened to her persona. I remember getting my ass beat by those moon shadows and thinkin’ I was gonna die. Then again, I thought that a lot back when we were doing this.”

Sanada investigates the lamp, paying his comrade no mind. “Hell...I hope we don’t have time to climb this whole thing from the bottom. If we can’t warp, we’ll never make it.”

“We don’t know if we need to go that far up,” Goro feels the need to point out. Sure, going up seems like their only option at the moment. However, there are reasons he’s hesitant to go much further than where they are. A pair of coattails comes to mind. “If we’re meant to reach the top, I doubt with our lack of preparation we’d ever make it.”

Shirogane sighs. “It would be unwise to go charging in without knowing exactly what’s in store. Perhaps we can get that thing working again. You said it was a teleporter?”

“Yeah, but I don’t have the expertise to fix it.” Sanada taps the warp pad with the tip of his shoe. “Taking the stairs is our only option. Someone, or something, is in here. I don’t wanna wait around for it to find us first.”

A poor choice of words. There’s a _plink!_ as a small gear is kicked from the top of the staircase. They watch it roll across the floor, its momentum carrying it as far as the entrance. Its fall echoes across the room, and for a moment, none of them dare to see who kicked it.

Goro waits. He hears the shocked gasps of his acquaintances, and suspects he won’t recognize whoever’s approached them.

Sure enough, the man at the top of the stairs is a stranger to him. Broad-shouldered, chiseled jaw, a man carved from cinder block. His appearance is jagged yet somehow smooth, giving off the appearance of a man who’s seen far too much in such a short time. He’s no older than Goro’s adult counterparts, and yet dresses like a teenager caught in a goth phase.

What bothers Goro are his eyes. They’re far too out of place. They seem glazed over, the light behind them artificial. The soul illuminated in them doesn’t belong to him.

The man smiles, tucking his hands gently in his pockets. “Hey Aki.”

A chill runs through the room. Even without context, Goro knows this man is not supposed to be here. Every survival instinct he’s inherited from his ancestors is telling him to _run_.

A heavy silence surrounds them. It’s Sanada who speaks first, though his first words are just his strangled gasps for air.

“ _Shinji?_ ”

“No way…” Junpei backs up, to the point he nearly runs into Goro. “No, that’s-it _can’t be_.”

Shirogane joins them, the three now a good handful of yards away from the foot of the stairs. Only Sanada has yet to move. In fact, he takes a step forward.

“Akihiko, don’t!” Junpei cries. “Y-You know that’s not really Shinjiro-senpai! This is just like with Minato! He’s just a figment of our own guilt or some shit! Remember the Abyss?!”

“I know that,” Sanada mutters, yet he keeps stepping forward. “But why does he...look so different…?”

Shinjiro lips curl down with annoyance. “Hey, don’t talk like I’m not even here. You alright, Aki?”

Sanada has his foot placed firmly on the first step. “How the hell are you alive.”

It suddenly clicks for Goro what all this is about. “Detective Shirogane, I think I know what happened to your taxi driver.”

“The taxi driver you’ve met before?” they respond. Evidently, they won’t be letting him forget about that for a long while.

“I think something’s wrong with his persona.”

Shirogane draws their gun. “I see...what does it do?”

Goro points at Shinjiro. “That’s a dead man who someone wants to very much be alive. And lo and behold, here he is.”

Shinjiro glares his way. “Knock it off. I ain’t dead, kid. Damn, I know I’m not the friendliest face but does he gotta act like such a jackass, Aki?”

“Stop talking,” Sanada hisses. He ascends a few steps. His movements are rigid, almost mechanical.

“Don’t you start acting up, too. Something’s wrong, ain’t it?”

Shinjiro drops a step and finds himself under the gaze of Shirogane’s barrel.

“He’s not real, right?” the detective whispers to Goro. he shouldn’t be, but Goro looks to Junpei all the same.

Junpei shakes his head, eyes misty. “Right. He’s too old. Shinjiro-san died when he was eighteen. Damn it…” He pulls the brim of his cap over his eyes, already accepting what’s to come. A part of Goro is vexed by how emotional he’s become over a cognitive fake. Another part of him is reminded of a cold, February night in a local café.

Shirogane undoes their safety. “Sanada-san, I need you to step back!”

Sanada’s head whips around to them so fast he must experience whiplash. “Wait! Give me a second!”

“Man, c’mon please! You know he’s not real!” Junpei pleads. “Don’t draw this out any further than we gotta!”

“You don’t remember…?” Sanada asks, voice lucid. He sways on his feet, a hand coming up to his forehead.

Suddenly, Junpei stumbles into Goro. He cups his head with his hands, choking out a startled groan. Shirogane leaps in front of him, knuckles white around their pistol handle.

“Iori-san?! Whatever it is, fight it!”

Junpei falls to his knees. Goro follows him down and grips his shoulder. “Get a hold of yourself. Surely you’re stronger willed than this?”

“Chidori…” he mumbles. “Chidori...Chidori...Chidori…”

It’s no use. He’s stuck chanting like a sinner in church. Sanada has yet to succumb, but it’s clear how hard he’s struggling. Shinjiro has taken advantage of Junpei’s distraction to approach the man, close enough he could touch him.

“Step away!” Shirogane warns.

Shinjiro is done listening. He steadies Sanada by the shoulders. “You got your head straight now? Talk to me, Aki.”

Sanada blinks rapidly. “We’re...no...I’m with-” He yelps, knees buckling.

From the opening in the gears, another figure emerges. It slinks out, a snake ready to ensnare its prey. Goro’s heart hammers, but not because the figure is dressed like a thief.

No, the shadowy figure wears nothing but a void. It’s shape flickers in between a solid and a puff of air. There’s no distinguishing what it is because there’s barely any of it. Still, its sinister aura cannot be ignored.

The same hand that reached for Goro in his dreams points his way.

Shirogane looks around widely. “Who should I target?”

Goro jumps to his feet. “That thing. Fire.”

“Are you certain?”

Shinjiro helps Sanada back to his feet. “It’s alright, babe. You don’t have to fight it. Always trying to act like a hero. Learn to take a break once, why dontcha?”

Goro...isn’t certain at all. One of them is manipulating half their party, and the other is...what _is_ the other? They both need to go.

Hereward could take care of it. With one burst of megidolaon, this could all be over. Slowly, Goro lifts a hand to his face. He keeps his eyes on the shadowy figure until his fingertips graze over his cheekbones.

His mask isn’t there.

It should’ve been obvious, from the moment they entered Tartarus. There’s no reason for it taking this long for Goro to realize this. He pats his face, like a young child making a mess of itself. “The _fuck?!_ ”

His clothes are ratty, but they're not Black Mask ratty. He is entirely normal. When he beckons Hereward forth, his call bounces aimlessly in his own skull. It’s not as if his persona has gone dormant; his persona is completely gone.

“That damn MARUKI!”

He hadn’t anticipated such an outburst, especially from himself. The shadow figure lowers its hand, and begins descending down the stairs.

“Akechi-kun, I’m going to fire at that thing unless you have any other input!” Shirogane warns.

Shit shit shit. Goro looks back to Shinjiro. He’s tilting Sanada’s chin up with a delicate hand and- _oh_. So that’s the reality Sanada wanted. Their lips just touch before Sanada violently pushes the cognition away.

“ _No!_ ” he gasps. “You bled out in my arms! Minako-!”

Shirogane fires.

The bullet passes right through the figure, like a knife through warm butter. It bounces off one of the gears and embeds itself into the dusty tile. The figure comes to a halt, halfway down the staircase.

The room grows quiet again. Even Junpei has stopped whimpering. Shinjiro sighs, stepping back.

“You’re too good, you know that? That’s my Aki. Not the brightest bulb, but he still shines.”

Searing, hot light explodes in the center of the room.

Goro comes too with ringing ears and a tongue coated in nickel. He tries to sit up, instead only managing to roll over onto his side. A cocktail of blood and saliva fills his mouth, and he hastily spits it out.

A hand grabs his windbreaker and slings him across the room. He skids to a halt just in front of the entryway. Another blast of heat envelops his back, and he trips over himself just to stand.

Shirogane runs up beside him. “GO!”

And so they run. They run until the smoke tailing them clears and they’re back outside in a washed-out Shibuya. Once a safe distance away, Goro’s legs give out from under him and he falls flat on his back.

Shirogane and Junpei aren’t far from him, both singed and panting. Goro couldn’t give less than a shit about them right now, or Sanada’s absence.

Head poking out from behind Tartarus, floors and floors above them, is Adam Kadmon.


	7. Pistol

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Junpei takes off. Goro takes aim. Shirogane takes a short rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wishing you all well!! I don't really have anything else to say except thank you for the continued support <3

“It’s... _huge_.”

There’s no finer way to put it. Adam Kadmon continues to stare them down, expression permanently stuck somewhere between a grimace and a frown. So far, it hasn’t made any attempts to move, perfectly content with acting as a creepy guardian for Tartarus.

“I’ve never seen a shadow that big before,” Shirogane gasps.

“That thing’s a persona,” Goro corrects them. “And a dangerous one at that.”

“Unbelievable.” Shirogane finishes their gawking, surveying the scene. “Is everyone alright? Akechi-kun, you’re not too badly burned, are you?”

Goro brushes a spot of soot off his shoulder. “I feel a good deal more bruised than burned. That must have been-”

“A burst of megidoloan. Yes. We all were fortunate to make it out alive. Unfortunately…”

Their mournful pause is broken by Junpei’s stifled groan. He tugs off his cap, frowning at the new burn marks around the rim. “God, that hurt...Akihiko. Akihiko! Where’s-?”

His eyes dart between the detective princes, never landing where he wants them too. Goro has only ever seen mental shutdown victims turn such a pale shade.

“You gotta be kidding me…” With a sudden, profound burst of energy, he takes off for Tartarus.

“IORI-SAN!” Shirogane calls out. They try to follow him, but are slowed by a limp. “Please, STOP!”

It’s no use. Junpei is far too quick to be caught and far too rash to be reasoned with. Goro follows Shirogane’s pitiful lead after him. It’s only now obvious to Goro, but Junpei appears rather athletic himself. Not to the same extent Sanada is (or most likely was), but his sprint is admittedly impressive.

Junpei vanishes back into the darkened entrance of the tower. Goro is just about there himself when Shirogane grabs him by the sleeve.

“Stay behind me.”

He scoffs. It’s been too long of a day. “What protection can you offer me in your current state?”

“More than you can offer either of us.”

Damn it, they’re right. Goro concedes. “Fine.”

They tiptoe hesitantly past the entryway. Though once they’re far enough in, Junpei’s frantic pacing alerts them to the absence of danger. They meet up with him back in the first room, the stairs now coated in a thin coat of ash.

A few other things of note: there are no bodies, and there are no shadows.

Junpei does laps around the room, just barely out of breath. “W-Where are they? Where’d they take him? _Did_ they take him?!”

He looks to Goro, as does Shirogane. Ah, yes. He’s the closest thing they have to an expert right now..

“Given the lack of a body, it’s the only explanation. There’s the possibility Sanada-san could’ve been turned into the ash we’re standing on...but I doubt it.”

Junpei looks down at his feet, mortified. “Oh God. What is it gonna do to him? That thing, and Shinjiro…” His head hangs low, too heavy for his neck to handle. “Fucking hell. The guy’s been through enough, hasn’t he…?”

If Goro hadn’t looked Shirogane’s way, he would have missed the hurt that flashed in their eyes. “It seems we have a new objective now: to rescue Sanada-san. However-” they wince suddenly, leaning over to clench their knee. “None of us...are in any condition to continue onwards.”

They drop to the ground, hissing with pain. Evidently, the pursuit had been too much for them to handle. Junpei rushes to kneel beside them. Goro follows suit only because it would be awkward to converse when he’s the only one standing.

Shirogane tries to lift up their pant leg, but deems the action too painful and gives up. “Sprained, I think. Not broken, but it hurts.”

“Ah hell.” Junpei looks around the room. “M-Maybe we can make a splint? Or some kind of crutch? You’re the only one who’s got a persona right now! We gotta be able to get you around. I can carry you if we gotta.”

Shirogane gives a wobbly smile. “You’re kind, but let’s stay here for now. We all need to...catch our breaths…”

Catching their breaths won’t be enough. Without any means of escape or a full grasp of what they’re facing, they’re as good as dead. The Reaper might as well come and claim them all. Maybe The Reaper will come. Seems just like Goro’s luck.

This short rest is nothing but a diversion. Soon, they’ll be forced to grapple with their hopeless situation and flounder about until they die. All thanks to that damn Maruki.

That Damn Maruki. It has a nice ring to it.

“So, uh, do we gotta be worried about that giant persona?” Junpei asks. “Seems like it could crush us _real_ easily if it wanted to.”

Goro closes his eyes before rolling them. It’s a fair question, he’s just not in the mood. “If it’s being controlled by who it belongs to, then we have nothing to worry about. However...I must admit, that shadowy figure has me on edge. It clearly possesses arcane powers, though to what extent we don’t know. And given Takuto Maruki’s state in our world...I worry if maruki’s persona is under his control right now.”

Shirogane starts. “Are you suggesting...it stole Maruki-san’s persona?”

“It’s just my own conjecture. All I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt is that Maruki’s persona is being tampered with in some way. Given what happened to him last we met, the chances of him using his persona again were slim to none. He learned his lesson of what happens when you mess with the realities of others.”

Junpei cocks a brow. ‘’Cause you taught him it?”

“Well…” Goro thinks back on the day he died, and of clenched red fists that flurried weakly before the world went white. “It was a joint effort.”

“With whom?” Shirogane inquires. “The other persona members you mentioned?”

In a moment of deja vu, a sound echoes from the chamber attached to the top of the stairway. Another gear kicked or piece of debris disturbed. What the sound is hardly matters more than _who_ made it.

“ _Christ_ ,” Junpei hisses. He stands, blocking the others with his body. Clearly he’s the hero type. Goro, meanwhile, has another strategy.

“Shirogane-san. Your gun.”

The detective balks. “Out of the question.”

“You’re unable to stand. How to expect to get a good shot when you can’t even aim properly?”

Shirogane grits their teeth, running a hand down their shin. “You hand it back to me as soon as you're done. Am I understood?”

He doesn’t understand why he’s being childed, but Goro agrees to their conditions. With a nod, Shirogane reluctantly hands over their weapon. The pistol is cold in his grip, his fingers slotting into place automatically. It’s like slipping on an old glove, one that was worn in a long time ago.

Goro stands with Junpei, checking how many bullets he has left. Four may not cut it against a formidable shadow, but it could weaken it just enough.

“Why do you have the gun?!” Junpei struggles not to cry out.

Goro ignores him, taking aim at the top step. He’s rusty, having to adjust his stance just to ensure he’s in headshot range. Shinjiro was rather tall, but the figure was no taller than himself. If he estimates where the median of their heights may be-

“Oh shit!”

A silhouette takes form, curling at the base of the stairs. Caught between the barrier where shadow turns to light, a cloak sways dauntingly with an even stride.

Immediately, Goro knows who it is. The person he wanted to be here, and dreaded seeing all the same. He’s hardly a threat to any of their lives, yet Goro finds himself frozen to the spot, pistol still raised.

It’s Junpei who pushes his hands down. “Easy now. He’s got a mask. You said that was good.”

In relative terms, yes, someone wearing a mask here, in Tartarus, where personas can be used, is good. On the other hand, Goro hasn’t taken a breath in several seconds.

Joker- _Akira_ -steps fully into the light, hands raised. His left hand is empty, while his right holds a grenade.

A...when did he ever have those?

Junpei lifts the pistol back up. “Okay, not good. Not good!”

Goro watches Joker very, very closely. It’s a bit tricky to read his expression with the mask covering his eyes. Normally, Goro has to rely on his lips to reveal what the Phantom Thief is thinking. There’s no cheeky smirk or thoughtful frown. It’s a tense, flat line.

“Are you real?” Joker asks calmly. They’re the first words Goro has heard from him in a year. Three simple words, composing a simple to answer question.

For some reason, Goro can’t muster a response. His throat is tight, and his mouth is achingly dry.

Junpei holds his own arms out in surrender. “We’re real! Very real! Jesus, please don’t blow us up!”

Joker looks right past him, focused solely on Goro. “Are _you_ real?”

Goro’s insides are melting. The blast of megidoloan must have given him a lethal dose of radiation. He hadn’t thought about how his reunion with Akira would go, mostly because he hoped it would never happen. And yet. And yet. And yet-

He drops his arms to his sides, still burning within. “You never texted me.”

An eternity passes and then-

The smirk.

That damn smirk spreads across Joker’s face.

He whips off his mask, which bursts into familiar blue flames. Akira is revealed, and that smirk becomes something more akin to a beam.

“Why would I text a dead man?”

“Oh, please. You’re a hopeless fool. I doubt you really thought I was dead.”

Akira slings his satchel around from behind his back and pockets the grenade. A relieved sigh whooshes out of Junpei. With the grace of an acrobat, Akira comes leaping down the stairs. Before Goro can mentaly prepare himself, Akira is mere inches away from him.

“Never. You can’t die until I give you back your glove.”

Their relationship was never built on... _feelings_. Well, feelings of animosity maybe, and mostly on Goro’s part. It certainly wasn’t built on a solid, real friendship, full of admiration and trust. Those are real, healthy feelings. 

So when Akira throws his arms around Goro, the ex-assassin assumes he’s being attacked. No, the embrace is much worse. It’s all those feelings he refused to acknowledge all those months ago, while playing pool and darts, visiting the bathhouse, chatting over a cup of coffee…

Everything Goro suppressed for the buffoon surfaces all at once, and his only reaction is to stand absolutely still and hope it passes quickly.

It doesn’t.

Eventually, Akira pulls away. His face is unbearably bright, and just as smug as he remembers. “It’s cute how you were gonna shoot me again. Can’t imagine meeting any other way.”

“AGAIN?!”

Right, Goro’s entourage. “Kurusu-kun, meet Junpei Iori and Detective Naoto Shirogane. Fellow persona users, long before we ever were.”

Akira holds out a friendly hand for Junpei. “Nice to meet you.”

Junpei takes it, somewhat awkwardly. “Yeah, uh, nice to meet you too kid. Can we go back to the whole _shooting you thing?!_ Akechi-kun, you never mentioned anything like that to us!”

“Water under the bridge,” Akira assures him, with a lax tone Goro finds...somewhat upsetting. “Detective, are you injured?”

Shirogane’s eyes are blown wide. “Your...clothes.”

Akira reaches into his satchel and retrieves a familiar item. “Here. This’ll take care of you all.”

He cracks open the bead, the lingering heat on Goro’s shoulders fading away as if it were never there. Shirogane flexes their leg, finding themself able to do it again. They stand up with ease, brushing themself off.

“Thank you, Kurusu-kun. Akechi-kun, my pistol. _Now._ ”

Goro rolls his eyes (not bothering to hide it this time), and does as he’s told. Shirogane all but rips it out of his hand, holstering it quickly.

“Where the hell did you get that bead?” Junpei asks. “No, better yet, where did you get that _grenade?_ ”

Akira smirks again. Goro can’t decide if he wants to slap it off or not. “I’ve...been here a while. I did some digging and found a few things. I also learned a bit about this place.”

That gets everyone’s attention. “What did you find out? Is there anyone else trapped here with you? Do you know where we might find them?” Shirogane rapidly fires questions at Akira, who coolly holds up a hand.

“Not here. It’s not safe to stay in Tartarus that long. I’ve got a-” He glances at Goro, “- _hideout_ where we can talk.”

Goro glares. “I hate you.”

Akira laughs. “I missed you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let the pining commence :)))))))))


	8. Leblanc

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira works the counter. Shirogane makes a request. Junpei is reunited with an "old friend."
> 
> Goro navigates his feelings (poorly).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made the mistake of starting critical role season 2 when I am literally over a hundred episodes behind and each episode is around 3-4 hours. It's so good but I'm a college student where am I gonna find the time to catch up?!?!?!?!

“Sorry,” Akira smiles sheepishly. “It’s a bit of a walk.”

A bit of a walk is an understatement. They’ve covered about half of the city thanks to the trains not having any power. By the time they reach the outskirts of Shibuya, Tartarus is but a hazy line in the distance. If Goro’s feet have anything to say about it, they’ve walked a good few miles.

“You’ve survived all this time by yourself?” Junpei asks incredulously. “I had a friend get stuck in Tartarus for just a few hours, and it was a miracle she made it out alive.”

Akira shrugs. “Besides Tartarus-that’s what you called it, right?-I know the area pretty well. However, there’s no danger outside the tower. Of the few shadows I’ve seen, I haven’t been able to bait one to follow me out the entrance.”

“You _wanted_ them to follow you?” Goro inquires. “Just when I start giving you the benefit of the doubt, you prove just how stupid you are.”

Junpei’s face turns a shade reminiscent of crimson. “Hey, what the hell is your problem? Your friend’s stuck in a weird pocket dimension for however long and you treat him like _this?_ ”

Akira just waves him off. “That’s just how he is. But, Akechi...how long _have_ I been gone?”

He drops his voice to an octave only Goro can hear. It wavers slightly, the question demanding a level of sincerity rare between them. Despite the churning in his gut, Goro tells him the truth.

“A month.”

A beat passes. Akira nods. “A month, huh…?”

He looks the other way, and Goro expects the conversation to divert itself.

“How’s everyone else doing? Or, do you even know?”

Junpei and Shirogane fall out of step with them. Goro curses them internally, stranded in intimate waters he doesn’t know how to navigate.

“Why would I know what they’re up to? I’m dead.”

A slight chuckle. “Yeah, I thought not. I hope they’re well...how’d you know I was gone?”

Goro tucks his hands into his pockets. “I was approached by your Velvet Room attendant. That little girl.”

“Oh, she would _not_ like you calling her that.” Akira’s grin almost reaches his eyes. “What’d she want with you?”

Goro clears his throat, nodding the others closer. Shirogane is practically on his heels, hungry for information. “She informed me of certain individuals who had gone missing within the past year, with you being the most recent. Judging by Iori-san’s connection to one of the other victims, and us, I’ve come to the conclusion they’re all like you: wild cards.”

“What were the other names?” Shirogane blurts.

He can’t recall them on the spot, regrettably. Goro has no choice but to reach into his bag and retrieve the documents. He slips them as casually as he can to the detective. Shirogane flips through them hastily, breath catching in their throat.

“Yu. _Teddie_.”

They clutch the papers close to their chests. Everyone slows to a natural stop, allowing Shirogane a moment to grieve.

“Have you seen them? Any of them?” They thrust the documents into Akira’s hands. “ _Tell me_.”

Akira quickly glances at his fellow chosen ones. “Only her, and briefly.”

He holds up Hamuko Arisato’s file. It’s Junpei’s turn to choke on air.

“You _saw her?_ Is she okay? God, she’s been gone for so long.”

Akira hands the documents back to Goro, diverting his gaze. “I don’t know who she was before she went missing, but I don’t think she’s herself right now.”

“W-What do you mean?”

“I think you should wait until we’re able to sit down. We don’t have much farther to go.”

The dramatic bitch he is, Akira takes on walking again. Junpei looks at Goro pleadingly, but it’s not like he’ll have the answers he needs. And so they walk on too.

  
  


It’s not a trek Goro made often himself, but he recognizes the way to Yongen by the streets Akira takes. Diverting from the main road, he leads them down the dividing line between local shops and small apartment buildings. Though certainly not that lively on a good day, it’s unsettling to witness it as a ghost town. The synthetic texture to Maruki’s world has morphed the homey, secluded area into one of Chernobyl’s many empty lots half a continent away.

Unsurprisingly, Akira walks right up to Leblanc. He tugs the door open gently. Under better circumstances (though not necessarily better for Goro), he would make a cheeky joke about taking their orders. Now is not the time.

The cafe has been kept in pristine order. Clearly indoctrinated heavily by Sojiro Sakura, Akira seems unable to leave the place anything but spotless. He slides behind the counter, motioning for everyone to take a seat at the bar.

Junpei takes a heavy seat next to Goro, despite there being enough seats to leave breathing room between them. Before Goro has a chance to complain, a plate of cold curry is placed proudly before him.

Akira gives him a wink. “Not as good as I used to make it, but pretty decent for not having a working stove.”

The exhaustion of whatever excursion they’ve been forced upon hits Goro all at once, and he wolves down half his serving. Humble bastard; it tastes amazing.

“How did you manage to cook this?” Shirogane asks, eyes full of wonder. There’s a hefty bite taken out of their curry, and another spoonful on its way to their mouth.

“Lighter fluid and a chair that is no longer with us. One batch typically lasts me a week or two, depending on how I ration it. But hopefully, I’ll get to have a more balanced diet soon.” Akira shrugs off his coat and lays it across the counter. Bearing it all (or mostly his arms), he stands across from junpei. “Do you want to eat first before I continue?”

“Just hit me, kid.”

Akira nods. “The farthest I’ve made it up Tartarus was about the hundredth level. Most of the floors are empty; nothing but a maze of hallways. I’ve gotten lucky a few times and found some tools, like that bead and some grenades. Those are really useful. As far as I’m aware there’s only one true shadow: a figure made of darkness. It can create other shadows with the persona Adam Kadmon, but it only ever does that if I approach it. Never have I stumbled across a lone shadow without seeing it summoned first.”

Goro swallows his half-chewed bite. “So it is using Maruki’s persona. It must have taken it from him somehow.”

Solemnly, Akira crosses his arms. “I watched it happen. We stumble across Tartarus together.”

“How? Why were you with him, of all people?”

“You didn’t think Lavenza asked me to find these people first? I think my reputation as a Phantom Thief proved my capability.”

Shirogane drops their spoon. “You were a-? No, nevermind. Now is not the time. Please, continue.”

“I figured the people I was looking for were persona users. There wouldn’t really be any other reason for my help if otherwise. The first disappearance happened on a particular day when, well, Maruki and us had a _slight_ confrontation…” Akira clears his throat. “I came to him for help, and it took some convincing, but he used his persona to sniff them out. That’s when we got stuck here, and that shadow attacked us. I couldn’t stop it in time, and suddenly...Maruki disappeared.”

“He’s not dead, so don’t you get weepy for him.” Goro continues eating. “Just horribly maimed, it seems.”

Akira shakes his head. “It wasn’t pretty. I hope he’s alright.”

“What about Hamuko?” Junpei asks softly, as if he can somehow lessen the blow Akira’s words are about to inflict.

“I found her on the hundredth floor. She seemed fine, healthy even. She was with someone I wasn’t told was missing, and when I tried to talk to them they bolted. The shadow appeared after that and drove me away. That was actually earlier today, right before I ran into you all.”

Junpei scratches his chin, deep in thought. His worry has aged him greatly in a matter of minutes, his forehead etched with wrinkles. “If it was right before you saw us, then it couldn’t have been Akihiko. The person she was with, what did they look like?”

“He had blue-ish dark hair, about my height but older than me-”

Junpei stands suddenly from his stool. “ _Blue?_ Blue hair? Are you sure it was blue?”

“That’s what he said,” Goro mutters. “I’m guessing that’s relevant to whatever cognitive reality Maruki fabricated for her?”

He’s just finishing off his curry when he realizes Junpei has yet to respond. Pushing his plate aside, Goro swivels around to face him. He certainly wasn’t prepared to face a man so...defeated. Junpei Iori, who he has only known to be full of boundless, irritating energy, appears almost soulless.

“Yeah, it’s relevant. That’s her brother, Minato. They just won’t let him rest.”

Goro turns away as Junpei wipes at his eyes. He asks Akira, “How much farther up do you think the tower goes?”

Akira hums thoughtfully. “At least twice the distance I’ve covered. However, I don’t think it truly goes all the way to the top. Did you notice how the haze is worse the higher up you gaze?”

Goro did, but had chalked it up to sensory overload at the time. His perception has clearly lost a bit of its keen edge.

“Since this isn’t the actual Tartarus, we may be dealing with a smaller structure than we thought,” Goro theorizes. “That still doesn’t eliminate the fact we still have a good deal of ground to cover. And unless you have your personas at your disposal, we only have one of us here who can fight.”

Akira taps his temple with a sly finger. “Don’t worry. They’re all here. You know, I almost filled the whole compendium. If only I’d talked to Shinya more.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Goro groans into a stretch, his shoulders giving faint, little _pops_. “Must be a chosen one thing.”

“You were chosen too, remember?”

“More like I was fucked over, is what you mean.”

“I’m sorry,” Shirogane interjects, “but what exactly do you mean by that? Akechi-kun, is it possible you also have the wild card’s ability?”

“In a sense,” Goro admits. He can’t see how Shirogane having that information will do him any harm (for now, anyway). “That’s not important right now. Did you happen to find anything else useful? Apparently, Iori-san can only summon his persona with a tool called an ‘Evoker.” Is that right? Iori-san?”

“Hmm?” Junpei stirs out of his thoughts. “Yeah. Don’t think you’ll find one here. We all had to turn ours in. Not like you’d know what it looks like either if you saw it anyway.”

Akira tucks beneath the counter, retrieving his satchel. He lets it in front of Junpei’s abandoned curry and ruffles through it. “I found a pair of brass knuckles, if that’s what you’re looking for. Also this gun. It doesn’t work as far as I can tell, and there’s no way to reload it.”

He pulls a sleek, silvery pistol out of his satchel, which glistens in the pale light coming through Lebanc’s windows. Junpei’s eyes go wide at the sight, the cloud above his head dissipating.

“No way.”

He scrambles forward and scoops up the gun into his hands. An odd look of relief and apprehension plasters itself to his face.

“There’s no way. But I’m not complaining! God, I haven’t used one of these in a long time.”

Shirogane winces. “That’s an evoker? How does it even work?”

Junpei tucks the gun away sheepishly. “Uh, it may be better to show you when we get out there. Not exactly something that’s easy to describe.”

Goro pinches the bridge of his nose, fatigue setting in. “I’m not sure I want to know how it works.” He can’t hold back the yawn that escapes him, and soon enough it spreads to Akira.

“You all can- _ahhh_ -rest upstairs. I got a cot and a pullout couch, but if you want a booth they’re pretty comfy too. I’m going to stay down here and craft some infiltration tools for a while.”

Shirogane slides out of their seat. “We should leave at the earliest, but prepared. We have our own time limit to escape this place. A week, if I remember correctly?”

Akira frowns at that. “I don’t want to discourage you all, but I’ve...been here a while. It’s not going to be easy navigating that place.”

“Maybe not,” Goro admits. “But we have more manpower than you did, and someone who has a better lay of the land.”

Junpei nods proudly. “I’ve got you guys. Plus, I got friends to save. We gotta get it done.”

When speaking with such confidence, he almost seems like a tried and true hero. Goro suspects his abilities on the field tomorrow will prove if he’s as macho as he feins.

“Thank you for the meal, Kurusu-kun,” Shirogane smiles graciously. “I’ll take a booth if you two want a proper mattress.”

Junpei balks at the offer. “What? No way. Your leg almost got snapped in half today.”

Shirogane chuckles lightly. “That’s a bit of an exaggeration, but I’m completely fine.”

“Well,” A rosy tint fills Junpei’s cheeks, “It wouldn’t be right. You were pulling all the muscle today, and you’re a lady-”

Shirogane is quick to snap their hand up. “With all due respect, we all did our best with what we had today. No need to place me on a higher pedestal. And just so you know going forward, I don’t identify by my biological gender. Please, refer to me as a man, and treat me as your equal. I know it’s not very traditional, but this is my only request.”

“Ah shucks! Sorry!” Junpei adjusts his cap. “Well, _sir_ , I don’t have a preference whether I have a bed or a booth. I’ll leave that up for you two to decide. And don’t worry about tradition, man. You gotta be who you are.”

Shirogane flushes, clearly taken aback by how effortlessly his request was taken. “T-Thank you. Then, perhaps you all wouldn’t mind if I did take the bed.”

Junpei gives a hearty laugh. “Sure thing. Akechi-kun, gonna call dibs on anything?”

It’s not that Akira was in any way going to affect Goro’s decision on the matter, but he finds himself glancing his way. Akira already has a careful setup of twine and various scrap metal. Where he was keeping it stored mere moments ago is probably best not to ask.

“Ah, I gotcha. Well, snooze you lose. The couch is mine!”

Junpei waits just long enough for Goro to turn before throwing a wink and retreating upstairs.

Just when Goro is learning to appreciate this man, he makes him want to kill him again.

They’re alone now. Just Goro, Akira, and his methodical tinkering. Goro sits back at the bar, just watching him work for a bit. He’s exhausted, sure, but his adrenaline is still just too high.

Akira catches him staring and grins. “You look tired.”

Goro huffs. “Bet I look worse than that.”

“I was gonna say you look like shit, but I didn’t want to be mean like you.”

Goro flicks a stray bolt across the counter for that. Silence settles between them again. It’s not necessarily tense, as it demands to be broken in some way, but Goro knows it won’t last forever. In a sense, he finds it somewhat comforting. He can’t explain why. Maybe it’s because it’s his first moment of peace in quite some time.

“I’m glad you’re not dead.”

Akira’s voice is almost inaudible by how quiet it is. Goro lets out a long sigh.

“I’m not exactly sure how I’m here. Do you have any idea?”

“You’re the detective prince. You telling me you don’t have any theories?”

“I will flick more stuff off this counter if you keep this up.”

Akira laughs. He laughs some more, and damn its infectiousness, Goro finds himself joining along. He laughs harder than he’s laughed in years, lungs aching form the lack of air intake. When he breaks free of his hysteria, Akira is just staring at him. His expression is unreadable.

Goro’s face feels warm. “Ahem.” He smooths out his hair, if only to break eye contact. Akira eventually looks back down at his work.

The silence returns, this time much more daunting. Goro begins eyeing the booths over to find which one looks less sunken in.

“Thanks for finding me,” Akira just about whispers.

“You found us,” Goro reminds him.

Akira shrugs indifferently. “It was hard, gotta admit. A month...it felt that long, but knowing makes it feel worse somehow…”

Goro struggles with what to say next. “I’m sure your friends miss you terribly. They’re helpless without you.”

Akira adds the finishing touches to a smoke bomb and sets it aside. “They’re stronger than you think.”

His voice has hardened. Goro finds himself shivering.

“You’re right. They are exceptional, in their own right.”

He finds he doesn’t hate how certain responses get Akira’s shit-eating grin to return.

“That was almost a compliment. I’m proud of you.”

Tired and not willing to grapple with the sickly sweet whatever in his stomach, Goro stands up from the bar. “You said you were glad I wasn’t dead. Why?”

Akira cocks a brow. “I’m allowed to miss you, aren’t I?”

“You’re not,” Goro barks, an alarm blaring in his head. “I hurt your friends. I hurt you. When this is over, it would be best if we went our separate ways again.”

The peaceful blanket set atop the room is violently ripped away. A chilled air filters in around them. “Akechi, I think I get to decide how I feel. About everything that happened.”

Goro grits his teeth. “I shot you in the fucking head.”

“You were manipulated by your father.”

“I chose to do what I did. I was aware every step of the way how my actions were affecting others. And I did it anyway. I don’t get a pass just because you want to overlook what happened.”

“Oh I promise you I haven’t overlooked _anything_.” When he leans against the counter, Goro’s heart nearly bursts. “When we get out of this, and save these people, I want you to apologize. To Haru and Futaba. Then…”

His voice grows warm suddenly.

“I want you to apologize to yourself. Give yourself the chance to start over.”

Goro scoffs, the sickly sweet feeling now only sickly. “What sappy bullshit. As if I deserve it.”

“Then are you just gonna live in hiding all your life?!” Akira spits back. “What good will that do anyone, especially the people you hurt?”

It’s an argument Goro doesn’t have a defense for, except a life in hiding wasn’t what he came to Shibuya for. Quite the opposite, in fact. But he’s far too heated to give Akira the satisfaction of the truth.

The silence stretches on. Eventually, Akira concedes with a sigh. “I’m heading over to the Sakura residence. It’s right around the corner. I’ll see you all in the morning.”

With one swift swipe, he piles up his trinkets into his satchel and strides out the door. Goro hates how long he stands there once he leaves. He especially hates how his last waking thoughts that night are of Akira.


	9. Mabufula

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joker takes the lead. Junpei demonstrates. Multiple personas are summoned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goodness gracious y'all I'm so sorry it's been so long! I took a week off bc of the election, then life and finals took over. Mostly finals. Updates are probably going to take longer going forward, though hopefully not as long as the wait between the previous chapters. I really appreciate your patience and support!!! 2300 hits?? Y'all are too much thank you so much <3
> 
> This chapter was written in chunks over the course of nearly a month so I'm sorry if it reads as awkwardly as it was written. If I had more time I would have tweaked it more but I already felt bad about how long I was taking to update. I'll go back and edit later if I can

The walk to Tartarus is awkward to say the least.

Tense, sure. Quiet, of course. But it’s the words said last night that ring in Goro’s ears. He hates how much of Akira fills his head. He hates that Akira got to walk away last night while Goro stayed stuffed in that booth. He hates this entire fucked up situation and that he has to deal with it.

It may be what he said that he hates the most. Akira needed to hear it, to avoid complicating something that never should have existed. Yet, Goro can’t help but think he could have articulated himself better. If he’s learned anything, Akira’s stubbornness always prevails. Sure, he knows what Goro said, but Goro knows he’d never take his words to heart. Not without force.

There may be no way to reach him. They may both be too far gone.

Akira and Shirogane lead the pack, bouncing ideas around to add to their game plan. Which, as of right now, is flimsy and doomed to fail. Bits of Joker slip into Akira’s composure, his stride becoming much more flourished than necessary. Shirogane himself seems much more stewardly, already assigning himself back into the roll of offense. With every glance he sends back Goro’s way, Goro is reminded of how he’s currently dead weight.

Junpei fiddles with his weapon (sorry, _tool_ ) beside him. He trails his fingers along the engraving on the grip. Whoever designed the evoker had an odd sense of style, the gun appearing minimalistic yet gaudy.

“Maybe this thing’ll help you get your persona working too,” Junpei wonders.

“I’d rather not use that thing if I don’t have to. Especially since you have yet to...demonstrate it.”

Junpei chuckles, the concern of an outsider amusing to him. “It’s not bad, I promise. Well, actually I shouldn’t say that.”

Shirogane suggests something that makes Akira smirk. The transition into full-on Joker is clear.

Junpei suddenly leans in much closer to Goro. “Listen, uh, I don’t wanna keep this from you-”

“Personal space is something you’re familiar with, correct?”

Junpei backs away, but only a little. “The two of us heard some of what you two said last night.”

Goro bristles, insides fiery coals and icy shards. “ _What_.”

“It was hard not to! You both were practically screaming at the end!”

“We were not screaming,” Goro says, knowing he absolutely did raise his voice last night. “And what we were discussing is none of your business.”

“You said you shot him.”

Goro’s steps halter for a moment. He barely registers the twitch in his left hand. “I did.”

Junpei matches his slowed pace. Neither of them speak as tartarus comes closer into view. Still peeking bashfully from behind is Adam Kadmon. Its soulless eyes hold a void Goro feels himself oddly drawn to.

He shakes his head, clearing his throat.

“If you must know, I...don’t necessarily regret my choices at the time. More so, I regret the outcome.”

Junpei stares somewhat absently ahead. “I see...you willing to offer me a bit more context?”

Goro considers it for the briefest moment. “No.”

“How about if we make it out of this?”

“Why do you care?”

Junpei looks down at his evoker. “I see a lot of someone I used to know in you. A couple someones, actually. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I want to help you out however I can kid.”

A flicker of irritation ignites into a small fire of insult. And yet, curling at the edges of the flames, curiosity. “I’m not a charity case, nor a tool for your own redemption. You owe me nothing, as I owe you.”

Something akin to hurt flashes in Junpei’s eyes. “Right. Sorry.”

The walk grows more uncomfortable from there.

At the entrance to Tartarus, Joker addresses the group.

“Alright. Shirogane-san and I have developed a strategy for our infiltration. It’s not much, but it’s all we have to work with. I’ll take the lead, with Iori-san at the rear. You’ll be acting as defense from the back while I do so at the front. If a threat emerges, it’s our job to take it out.”

Junpei nods, giving a boyish smile. “You got it.”

Joker nods back. He shifts his attention to Goro, who doesn’t dare quiver under his gaze. “Your mask should’ve appeared by now. It didn’t show up yesterday either.”

Sure enough, the red tint of Goro’s mask is absent from his sight. Joker’s masquerade getup has returned, and yet Hereward remains dormant.

“My persona isn’t available right now. For what reason, I don’t know.”

Joker doesn’t offer him a nod in return. He simply steps forward and offers his bag to Goro. “You’ll make up our middle. Work with what’s in there until you get your act together.”

A rare moment of anger in an otherwise composed display. Gooro feels an odd sense of pride in that, though it pales to the surprise amount of guilt that comes with it. He takes the bag without argument, finding it a bit heavier than he expected.

Joker waits before backing away, seemingly appalled. Just as rare as his anger unleashed is Goro’s ability to hold back a snappy remark. “Alright. We’re going at this the way my group did, unless there are any objections.”

“How did your group do it?” Shirogane asks.

“With stealth.”

“And far too much flash,” Goro finally bursts.

Joker spins around, tailcoats billowing in his self-made breeze. “Stick to the walls, keep your eyes peeled, and follow my lead.”

  
  


The main hall is empty, as is the dreaded stairway in the opening room. They don’t linger long. Enough time has been spent floundering around on the ground floor.

Ascending the first few floors goes by quickly. The eerie, labyrinth-esc halls are simple enough to navigate with enough attention paid to the layout. Besides the occasional stunted breath from Junpei, they travel in silence.

Goro keeps track of their current level in his head. Five, ten, fifteen-

The twentieth floor is where their first roadblock occurs.

They had been making such adequate progress too, only for Sanada to return and drop the ball.

He’s standing by the next set of stairs upward, still clothed in his athletic wear. He appears alone, and unharmed, but Joker raises a clenched fist all the same.

“Is this your friend who was taken?” he whispers.

Junpei answers by throwing caution to the wind. “Akihiko! Akihiko, you alright?!”

Sanada stares off in the distance, a crease between his brows. He appears steady on his feet, but by his sides his hands shake.

“Junpei...did you come to find me?”

His voice is hoarse, the words barely audible. The prickling up Goro’s spine tells him something’s been done to Sanada since they last saw him. Even from ten or so meters away, he catches the slight gold tint of Akihiko’s eyes.

“Course we di-” Junpei tries to step forward, but Goro grabs his arm.

“It’s not him. And if it is, he’s not the same.”

Junpei tenses beneath his grip. He looks back to his friend, torn. “Is Shinjiro-senpai with you?”

Sanada frowns. The frowns turns to a grimace. It splits his face, and with a wince he holds his head with a pale hand.

“Shinji…”

Shirogane reaches ever so slowly for his pistol. Goro swings Joker’s duffel around to the other side of his waist. A fight is brewing, the energy in the room becoming electric. That could also be because of the literal curls of electricity trailing up Sanada’s arms before they dissipate at his neck in a whiff of smoke.

Junpei breaks free of Goro’s hold. “Hey hey. Akihiko, look at me.”

Sanada musters the will to stare back at his friend. “You don’t remember, do you? What happened in January?”

“No, I don’t. But you can tell me. What did that shadow pull from your skull, buddy?”

The currents ensnaring Sanada grow brighter. His grimace morphs into something much more terrifying: a smile. He laughs, low and disheartened. “They came back. She was happy again. I was...I was finally happy. Isn’t it wrong, how we only came together because we were both hurting?”

Junpei reaches for his evoker, then hesitates. “I don’t get what you’re saying. But whatever you’re upset about, we’ll figure it out okay? You just gotta calm down.”

The warmth in Sanada’s smile carries a sorrow Goro will never know. “I get it now, how special what you and Chidori have. I’m so happy for you two...and I’m sorry, but I want that too.”

His desire appears then, as Shinjiro forms suddenly from behind Sanada, He places his hands on Sanada’s shoulders, and a concussive burst of energy pushes them all backwards.

Goro blocks his eyes from the blinding light of the blast, but it still takes them a moment to adjust. Above both men before them hovers a persona, clad in roman armor and holding a small globe in his outstretched palm. The other hand wields a hefty blade, cackling with red electricity.

The persona has gone berserk.

“He...he shouldn’t be able to do that,” Junpei gasps, helplessly. “AKIHIKO!”

With a cry of “CAESAR!” and a mighty swing of the persona’s blade, Sanada attacks. Goro reaches for a grenade before his body seizes up. He’s felt the shock of lightning before, thanks to the courtesy of Sakamoto, but this is far stronger than he’s ever had to ensure. His teeth sizzle against his gums, clothes frying at the edges. Without a doubt, one more shock like that and his heart will burst.

The four of them topple to the ground, the plan going to shit just like that. Joker reaches for his mask, but is unable to shake off the paralysis that takes him. Shirogane is fairing just the same. Goro at least is able to make it onto one knee, but as Sanada’s body begins to crackle, he knows rising much further will be a futile effort.

They failed so quickly. It’s honestly humiliating.

Junpei looks to their fallen comrades, taking in deep, rattled breaths. “Okay. Looks like I’m up.”

He takes out his evoker and puts it right against his skull.

Like any sane person, Goro cries out, “What the fuck are you doing?!”

Junpei’s grin is lopsided, less so from his cheekiness and more from the convulsing of his muscles.

“This is how he was supposed to do it.”

He pulls the trigger, and there’s the sound of glass shattering.

Shards previously invisible materialize out of thin air and splatter out the side of Junpei’s head in the place of brain matter. In that same instant, a gentle hue of blue shimmers around him like a protective cocoon. The hue grows deeper and rises upwards, the center of its mass growing closer to a pure black.

And from that black is a flash of gold.

Wings unfurl and spread just as another blast of charged energy comes shooting the group's way. Junpei’s persona absorbs every ounce of it, the electricity slicking off the wingtips and the crown of the persona’s pointed head. It has no face, save for a large ruby-esc orb that sparkles madly with power. Long, pointed limbs fill the sleeves of a red-tailored suit, spots of which have burned from the impact.

The persona is dazed, but undeterred. It hovers imposingly, haven risen from a long slumber and now ready for action.

Junpei catches himself from stumbling. “ _Oof_. That took a lot outta me.”

Goro is at a loss for words. No wait, he has one. “Unbelievable.”

“Cool right? Actually, no. Only with context.” He shoots himself again, Goro tensing despite knowing better. There’s a faint shimmer that appears over Joker, and a moment later the thief is back on his feet.

“Excellent job. Though you couldn’t have warned us?”

“Would you have believed me?”

The air turns sharp. Static pinches Goro’s cheek. Panic mounting suddenly, Junpei tries to muster another re patra but is far too slow on the draw.

There is a gunshot, and as the sound reverberates through Goro’s eardrums he watches the electricity whipping off of Sanada slam into nothingness before him and dissipate.

They all gape in wonder as Shirogane rises to his own feet, gritting his teeth as the last of his paralysis wears off. “What is he weak to?”

Junpei stares for a second, caught in the euphoria of his awakening. “Ice. _Ice!_ We gotta ice him!”

“He’s not summoning like you are! Chances are it might not work!” Goro slides his hand into the duffel, rummaging about until his knuckles collide with the sleek, smooth polish of a grenade. “More effective measures might be needed.”

There’s a weak _smack!_ that comes with the backhand Joker gives to his shoulder. “No. It’s going to take more manpower to make it up this tower. We neutralize him. Iori-san, flank right! Shirogane, cover!”

He takes off left, Junpei following suit right. Goro keeps hold of his grenade, his only use to provide backup for this haphazard plan.

Their two offensive players charge through the narrow battlefield. Joker’s strides are swift, feet nimble and balance centered. He can only capitalize on the assets of his youth for so long, and he maximises every ounce of energy and flare he can expend.

Junpei is much less graceful, and far less coordinated. He runs with wild abandon, but with a surprising amount of speed. He reaches Sanada first, firing his evoker before diving through the air. He soars far enough to catch Sanada in a full-on grapple, taking them both to the floor as they are enveloped in a massive ball of fire.

They crash and burn quite literally before their eyes. It happens too quickly for anyone but Joker to react, with a cry of, “JACK FROST!”

An eerie, cheery giggle bounces off the walls as the flames cease and ice shards scatter throughout the room. Frost freckles the air, revealing the deep breath Shirogane releases. Two bodies litter the ground, coated in a fine layer of snow.

It may have been too much. Goro sends Joker a look suggesting that very thing. Joker’s returning gaze conveys the same feeling.

“ _Ouch!_ ”

Junpei picks himself up, ice sliding off his shoulders. “That came from Jack Frost?! The hell!”

Joker slips his mask back on quickly, but is unable to hide the shudder that passes through him. It’s a lesson the bastard should have learned a long time ago, Goro thinks. There is such a thing as being too flashy for one’s own good.

“Sorry. I forgot how strong he’s gotten. Did a lot of sparing with the little guy back in the day. You alright?”

Junpei gives an exaggerated shiver. “ _Brr_. Glad that’s not my weakness. I think you knocked Aki out cold.” He shoots Goro a wink. Yes, he’s more than fine. Goro regrets worrying over him, even if it was for the briefest of moments.

“And Sanada is definitely unconscious?” Shirogane calls out. He lingers towards the back, pistol still drawn.

Junpei gives Sanada’s cheek a light pat. “Yeah. Get some rest, pal.” He shrugs off his jacket and, after patting out the last of the ice, drapes it atop his friend. “Do you think we can move him?”

“We may have to,” Joker takes a glance up the stairs, an endless abyss still awaiting them. “I didn’t see where that shadow went. We can’t wait around for it to find us.”

“Or we may run back into it and have to defend a prone man” Shirogane counters. “It was a short ordeal, but the next one we face may not end so quickly. We need Sanada-san’s power on our side, and it’ll be harder for me to offer you and Iori-san defense while protecting two other people.”

Goro, one of those two people, finds himself in agreement with the detective. “I say we wake Sanada up and get a move on. He’s a strong individual; he can shrug off whatever lethargy he may have as we keep going.”

He goes digging through the duffel again, retrieving a small vial with an expiration date he chooses to ignore.

“We need to ration the remaining beads. I must admit, you have a rather impressive persona, Iori. Though I’m guessing it doesn’t offer much in the way of healing.”

Junpei adjusts Sanada’s covering, the unconscious man now shivering. “Nah, I was always more of a heavy hitter.”

“Evident by your reckless display.”

“You know you were _this close_ to leaving it as a compliment.”

Joker snickers. Damn everyone in this room. Except Shirogane. For now. Goro hands Junpei the medicine and walks away.

No, he does not sulk. He simply needs a moment alone with the only person he isn’t seconds away from strangling: himself.

And again, Shirogane. But only for now.

It’s clear their enemy isn’t holding back on them. Whatever that shadow is (and whatever horrors it can create), they are all intent on killing them as quickly as possible. Though, it certainly has a roundabout way of doing it. Using other persona users as puppets and tormenting them with copies of dead loved ones seems needlessly complicated when trying to take out a ragtag group of adults and teenage maniacs.

Given, when thrust into conflict, their ragtag group managed to come out ahead. Though the risky methods used to do so may not work towards their advantage next time around. If Goro is good for nothing else, then perhaps he should take up the mantle as their strategist.

From behind him comes a low, broken moan. Goro returns to the group just as Sanada begins to regain consciousness. Cradled loosely in Junpei’s arms, he blinks back the cold that’s overtaken him.

“Jun...pei.”

Junpei beams down at him. “Hey man. Sorry, it was easier to get ya to drink if I lifted you up.”

Sanada tries to look around the room, but it seems lifting his head is too straining in his current state. “Shinji...where’d he go?”

Junpei bites his lip. “That wasn’t him, buddy. Our Shinjiro’s gone. He’s been gone for a while now. You gotta remember.”

“No, he’s-” Sanada tries to push himself out of Junpei’s arms, but the other man holds him tighter. “He’s here. And he was there, in January...why don’t _you_ remember?”

Joker drops to a knee before them. “Sanada-san, I’m a persona-user, like you. I’m the leader of the Phantom Thieves, since disbanded.”

“Phantom...thieves?”

“The thieves and I dealt with a persona-user last year who attempted to rewrite reality to his will, in order to prevent the suffering of others. Your friend, Shinjiro-san...he may have been one of the many people brought back for a time.”

Sanada’s face turns paler than it was previously. “Brought back?”

“He was a fake,” Junpei explains, voice delicate. “Remember, like in the Abyss with Minato?”

The gears in Sanada’s head grind heavily. Goro watches as the realization sinks in for the man, only to be replaced by another haze of confusion.

“Then why is he here? And why...was Hamuko-?”

He is suddenly racked by an intense coughing fit, one Junpei has to sit him up for. It takes him a while to catch his breath, and it’s time none of them have to spare.

“We need to continue this discussion on the move.” Joker rises and offers down a hand. “Do you think you’re ready to stand?”

Sanada looks rather helplessly between the thief and Junpei. “I don’t...I don’t understand.”

Junpei grips him gently by the shoulders. “It’s alright. I don’t get half of what’s going on here either. But we’ll figure it out together, and get Hamuko back.”

The expression drawn on Sanada’s face now is one Goro can only describe as regret. A deep, deep well of sorrow pools within his glossy eyes.

“I was with him, in January. Not Hamuko...and I wish I still was…”

Junpei stills, as words clearly meant to be unsaid are heard by all. With a polite clearing of his throat, Shirogane diverts the attention of the room to him.

“Perhaps we can spare just a few minutes on this floor. He’s in no condition to fight or be moved, for that matter.”

Joker nods. “You’re right. I’m sorry for the rush. A brief rest, then we’ll continue on.”


	10. Baby Photos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Questions with answers, and questions without answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so so so so so sorry for taking so long to update! I've been wanting to get this chapter out since the end of November, but there was just way too much going on this past month to sit down and write a scene out properly. I promise you I haven't dropped this fic; if anything, the accidental hiatus made me even more excited to continue it. I'm bursting with ideas and better way to flesh out future scenarios. Thank you all for sticking with me during the wait, and thank you all so much for over 3000 hits!!
> 
> Oh, and for those of you sweating over the new, big, scary tag, check out the smaller, way less scary tag near the bottom of the list <3

“He was back. I never questioned it, but...they all were. Shinji, Miki, Minato. Ken’s mother, too. I saw them so often, but it was as if a part of me just couldn’t remember the truth.”

Clinging tightly to Junpei’s jacket wrapped around his shoulders, Sanada quivers like a child despite his athletic build. His retelling of events that fateful January are akin to one of Shakespeare’s great tragedies: haunting and romanticized. He stares off into nowhere, gaze longing.

“He lived in our apartment as if he had always been there, instead of Hamuko. And Hanuko was living with Minato, just a block away, as if she always had been. She seemed happier than she ever did with me...and I think I was too.”

Junpei nudges Sanada’s foot with his. “You don’t have to feel guilty about it. It’ll weigh you down.”

Sanada eyes Junpei harshly. “You came to visit us once. You seriously don’t remember? Not any of it?”

Despite how short a time they’ve spent together, Goro can pick apart Junpei’s telling ticks with ease. The readjusting of his cap is a good indication his memory back then is, for the most part, intact.

“I, uh, only remember little bits here and there. I was still playing baseball, right?”

An oddly bittersweet smile takes Sanada. “Yeah, it was kinda all you were doing. You were in the big leagues.”

“I was?” Junpei’s eyes sparkle. “Oh man. I wish I remembered that! Do you know what I was ranked? Who’d I play for?”

Shirogane clears his throat. “Perhaps that isn’t so important right now. Sanada-san, it may be too personal to ask, but can you recall if Arisato-san happened to remember anything that happened last year once the ordeal was over?”

“No,” Sanada answers, defeated. “I don’t know if she remembered any of it. She seemed down at the time, but that wasn’t unusual for her. Ever since her brother passed...well, she’s never really been herself. We got to say goodbye to him, and she didn’t.”

Junpei gives up the act and matches his friend’s tone. “That’s right. She wasn’t there for the Abyss. Then again, maybe that’s a good thing.”

“She still had to grieve all by herself.” The way Sanada’s voice wavers makes it clear he’s not speaking to them. He’s miles away, in a different town at a different age. The weight of a life long past is not easily shouldered off with time.

“We’re going to save her.”

Akira’s voice cuts through the haze of melancholy. Firm, headstrong, yet softened at the edges. It teeters upon Joker’s usual bravado, but avoids slipping fully into it. All eyes fall to him, as his own are set ablaze.

“Tell us everything that happened after you were separated,” he continues. “It may give us an idea of what our enemy is capable of.”

Sanada nods, drawn from his thoughts. “It’s a little fuzzy. We were hit with that megidolaon, and I blacked out for a bit. I woke up on this floor, and...Shinji was with me. I knew I had to find you all, and get the hell out of here, but I just...wouldn’t. It was like every fiber of my being was telling me not to leave him again. Like I was crazed, or something.”

Crazed doesn’t fit Maruki’s description, nor his persona’s abilities. Goro rubs the slight stubble forming on his chin. “And that whole time you stayed put? Were you visited by that shadow, or perhaps Arisato-san and her brother?”

“No. Part of me didn’t think it was...safe to, if that makes sense? If I left that floor, bad things would happen. Shinji would go away. God, it sounds so pathetic now-”

“No, Sanada-san. It’s not!” Shirogane snaps suddenly. “That may be the most useful thing you’ve said yet.”

“That he’s pathetic?’ Junpei asks defensively.

Goro would roll his eyes if he hadn’t just hopped onto Shirogane’s line of thinking. “You were brainwashed by the shadow. Certain shadows have the ability to confuse or manipulate its foes, as well as enrage them.”

“You should know,” Akira mutters under his breath.

Goro chooses to ignore him. “When you were hit by an ungodly amount of force, it must’ve knocked you out of it. And previously, it stunned you enough to knock you into it. I was wondering why the shadow seemed to be baiting us into a fight it could easily win, only to back out of it immediately.”

“Because it’s too weak to risk taking us on itself,” Shirogane concludes.

Those who had yet to come to the same conclusion stare at them in disbelief. “You mean to tell me a hard hitter like that is weaker than _us?_ ” Junpei gawks. “Makes me feel a little better I guess about already having a bit of a dad bod.” Sanada does a quick look over him with eyes that say _Where?_

“We don’t know yet how that shadow came into being, or it _was_ another being before Maruki’s conundrum.” Goro sits up straighter, the gears in his mind churning. The thrill of solving a mystery refuses to leave him. “It may only be able to exist within this false plane of existence, if we’re still even in Maruki’s world. We have to consider the possibility this shadow created all of this on its own with the use of Adam Kadmon.”

“I don’t think so,” Akira cuts in, turning to Goro. “When I was asked by Lavenza to find out what happened to the missing wildcards, she suggested I seek Maruki out. Doesn’t seem like a red herring to me, at least.”

“We still won’t know definitively until we get more answers,” Goro points out. “But it may not be so risky to assume we’re trapped somewhere we’ve been trapped before.”

Akira nods, and a smirk crawls up his face. Goro expects to lock eyes with the notorious Phantom Thieves leader, but the expression is entirely Akira’s. Warm and slightly tentative, and yet confident in that hesitancy.

They can’t share this. The drive to pursue one another over a shared hurdle. The excitement of obtaining something previously out of their grasp. The joy of having someone of a like mind to share the triumph with. Akira wants it, and Goro knows he wants it. To have what they had before, pre and post Nijima’s Palace.

The small part of Goro that can admit his affections for Akira won’t allow it.

He directs his attention to Shirogane, making sure the look is pointed and ripped harshly away. Akira’s gaze, no doubt longing, burns the back of his skull. Goro refuses to look back.

“That brings us to its intentions. Any thoughts, Shirogane-san?”

Shirogane crosses his arms with a hum. “Given how it separated Sanada-san from us and brainwashed him, I suspect it wants to use other persona users to protect it. But that brings up the question of why it didn’t just take Sanada-san’s persona, or any of ours for that matter?”

“Maybe it didn’t want it?” Junpei offers, with a hitch in his voice that reveals his lack of confidence in his own answer.

Goro, however, finds he is extremely confident with that answer. “I dare say you’re right, Iori-san. Your persona is powerful Sanada-san, but it’s nothing compared to Maruki’s. Or that of a persona under the care of a wildcard user.”

Sanada frowns, clearly not in agreement. “So it took Maruki’s persona because it thought it would be more useful in battle-”

“Nothing against Caesar,” Junpei adds quickly.

“But why not take any of the wildcards’? It doesn’t add up that a shadow protecting itself with a powerful persona wouldn’t want more.”

“Perhaps it sees itself better defensively as they are,” Shirogane suggests.

“Or stealing personas is too taxing on itself,” Goro follows.

They all allow that inkling of a thought to worm its way into their brains. A few moments of contemplation later and none of them have any solid ground to stand on. The truth seems just within their reach, like a mountain in the distance seemingly closer by perspective. But Goro’s instincts tell him he’s already standing at the foot of it.

Sanada sighs. “We’re close, just not close enough.”

“And we can only get closer by going up,” Akira remarks.

Together, they glance up the stairway, what lies above shrouded in darkness.

Junpei shivers. “I don’t like any of this. A shadow that can think for itself. A shadow with its _own_ persona. How is that even possible?!”

Shirogane suddenly appears very uncomfortable, features drawing in. “It is. Possible. It is possible, I mean.”

“How do you know that? Do you know one personally, or something?”

“I do,” he admits plainly. “His name is Teddie Hanamura. He’s my friend, and is just as much of a person as any one of us are.”

A bell is rung violently in Goro’s head. “And the first persona user to disappear. We never considered how the wildcards started vanishing. That may be what’s keeping us from seeing the bigger picture.”

Junpei stands abruptly, eyes blown wide. “Wait wait wait. Your friend’s a _shadow?!_ C-Can we focus more on that for a minute because _WHAT-?!_ ”

A collective shush is given to Iori, who clams up upon remembering they are very much not alone in Tartarus. They all hold their breaths for what must be a solid minute, before Junpei whispers an apology and they continue theorizing.

“Teddie awakened to his persona upon developing a psyche. I don’t know how it’s possible and neither does he,” Shirogane explains tersely. “He vanished on the third of February last year, and my investigation deemed there was no evidence of foul play in the matter.”

Goro makes sure to remember who ran Hanamura-san’s investigation. “There may have been no evidence of foul play, but perhaps you weren’t looking for the right _kind_ of foul play.”

Shirogane’s stare grows hard. “What do you mean?”

“February third was the day Maruki was dealt with, and any changes he made to our reality were reverted.”

“And a change to our reality may have affected your friend Teddie,” Akira finishes. “With the cognitive world-with the world of shadows and personas separated from ours-”

“So was Teddie.”

Shirogane’s words echo throughout the chamber, a sinister relief causing it to shake. The detective tugs off his cap, clutching it tightly in his hands.

“He’s not like other shadows. He fought so hard to be with us. Why was he taken back then?”

“And what about the other persona users?’ Junpei asks meekly. “They’re not shadows too, right?”

Shirogane shuts his eyes. “Just Teddie. Damn it...the baby photos. Teddie had _baby photos_. I remember now. Back in February, I went to his parent’s house and his mother...she looked so proud when she showed them to me…”

None of them really know what to say to that. Sanada scratches his arm, jaw set. “I don’t like knowing today wasn’t the first time my mind was messed with. And I don’t like not knowing how Hamuko disappeared.”

“She may have just stumbled in,” Akira throws out. “That’s how Maruki and I found Tartarus to begin with.”

“But somethin’ would’ve had to draw her in, right?” Junpei asks. “A lot of people go walking around this part of town, given it’s _Shibuya_. How’d none of them get stuck too?”

“They’re not persona users. Though that doesn’t explain why Sanada-san hadn’t disappeared months ago with her.” Goro grabs a fistful of his own hair and tugs down _hard_. They have more and more questions with less and less answers. It’s infuriating.

Junpei, still standing, evidently can’t take much more of this like Goro. He lets out a hearty sigh, then _claps_ Sanada on the back with a flat palm. “How are you feelin’ now? Well enough to stand?”

Confusion morphs swiftly into stamina as Sanada stands with his old comrade. “More than enough. Doesn’t matter what kind of muscle that shadow has; if it has answers, I’m taking it down.”

“Hell yeah we are,” Junpei grins. He pats Sanada’s back one last time, then extends his hand to Shirogane. “Hey, it doesn’t matter who or what your friend is. We’re still gonna get him back.”

Shirogane blinks the mist from his eyes and takes Junpei’s hand. “I suppose we have come this far. It would be silly of me to lose faith now.”

“That’s right!” He pulls the detective to his feet, then looks to Akira. “We were doing pretty good following your lead, kid. Wanna continue as is?”

It’s Joker who stands, spector and wit incarnate. “Let’s head onward. You’ll lead with me. Sanada-san, you’ll make up our middle. Shirogane-san at the rear.”

He doesn’t bother glancing at Goro. He knows Goro still won’t look his way. Good. That’s how it should be. Goro rises to his feet, having at least _that_ to satisfy him while the nature of their situation remains unclear.

That is, until the others turn their backs to them, and Akira grabs him by the arm and leans in close, and Goro tries to pull away but Akira’s already whispering in his ear-

“Up front, with me. Please.”

Goro sucks in a breath that’s soon to be turned into a protest before Akira continues.

“They’re all out of practice. I’m not. Let me protect you, at least until we find you a better weapon.”

“You know what happened to my persona.”

Akira says nothing, which is the worst tell of all.

“You can’t afford to be selfish. If I’m tied to whatever’s going on here-”

“This isn’t your fault-”

“Lives are at stake, and not just my own. If you’re going to be our leader, act like it.”

Akira releases him. He summons his mask as he does, but there’s no hiding how torn he is. He strides away to join their older counterparts, leaving Goro with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

It does make one wonder, when there’s a grave out there for them they're not currently in, if their existence out of it is real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays!! Stay safe and merry <3


	11. Grenade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shirogane explains himself. Junpei makes another home run. Goro has feelings.
> 
> Goodbyes and hellos and all sorts of conversations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A friendly reminder to take care of yourselves during this stressful time and another reminder that things may be bad but they will get better <3 Anyway, here's where some scary tags come into play. Thank you all so very much for reading as always!
> 
> (sidenote: dragon age 3 good. dorian very good.)

Existential crisis or not, Goro sticks to the plan.

They climb higher and higher, the variation in the styles of the chambers the only thing keeping them all sane. Goro makes sure to keep count of their current level, though his keen mind is less focused than usual. Fretting over the worst-case-scenario makes even the simplest tasks harder than necessary.

Sanada comes back to his senses the further they go, seemingly back in his element by the time they reach the fiftieth floor. He asks Junpei at one point for his evoker, and spends the better part of an hour inspecting it.

“Seems like the real deal. If we make it out of here, I wonder if it’ll stick with us.”

“I thought Mitsuru collected them all,” Junpei remarks. “We should probably give it back to her _when_ we make it outta this.”

Sanada frowns. “Yeah. It’s best if it’s in her care.”

“What was your group of persona users called?” Shirogane asks.

“S.E.E.S. Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad.”

Junpei snorts. “We were a school club. Dumbest shit ever, now that I think about it.”

“It got us all in the same dorm, didn’t it?” Sanada chuckles in protest.

“How many of you were there?” Joker asks. His voice sends a jolt down Goro’s spine. He wishes he could rip Akira out of that damn cocoon, make him face the real world without the arrogance of a facade.

Junpei thinks for a moment, counting on his fingers. “There were nine of us, including a dog. Heh, can any of you beat that?”

“A sentient shadow.”

“A talking cat.”

Junpei blanches. “W-Well we also had a robot!”

“I like the acronym,” Shirogane confesses. “We had one, too, though not nearly as complex. The IT. Investigation Team.”

“Investigation Team?”

“We solved a series of murders in our hometown.”

“Damn, that’s sick. I mean, not the murder part, but the whole Scooby Doo thing.”

Shirogane makes a face, the expression some parts bewildered and other parts amused. “I suppose we all already know about the Phantom Thieves, Kurusu-san and Akechi-san. How many were in your team?”

“It’s, ah, a little complicated,” Joker admits. “We had a few unofficial members join the group for a time.”

Junpei looks back to Goro. “That you?”

The shame that rises to Goro’s cheeks alarms him. He huffs and looks the other way, though the feeling remains.

“One of our friends is a gymnast,” Joker breaks in. “She joined for a while, but had her own goals to focus on.”

“Anyone we’d recognize?” Sanada asks, appearing oddly enthused by the subject.

Joker grins proudly. “Sumire Yoshizawa. You may remember her winning gold a few months ago.”

Sanada’s eyes _sparkle_. “How about that. Her daily routine must be very impressive.”

“You can meet her when this is over,” Joker offers. “If she’s got time, that is.”

“I don’t doubt how busy she is. Man, my routine back in the day was intense. I barely had time to do anything else.”

“Yeah, you were kinda a protein-aholic.” Junpei elbows him in the side. “Remember that time I caught you chugging energy drinks at, like, one in the morning?”

Sanada shoves him back way more forcefully. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Heh, okay, _sure_. Man, those were some days...you all ever miss them?”

Sanada scoffs. “Hell no...but there are parts of them I do.”

“Yeah,” Junpei smiles wistfully. “I know what you mean. A lot of bad shit went down that year, but so much good too. It’s weird.”

Shirogane hums. “You took the words right from my mouth. Sometimes, when I reflect on how far I’ve come as a person, and how much I’ve gained, I think of all that had to be sacrificed to get me here. So many people had to die just so my friends and I could become who we are now. I have to remind myself we did the right thing, bringing the cultript to justice...but sometimes I find myself thinking the life I live now was stolen from someone else. Especially since...”

He trails off, the rest of his sentence only to be heard in his own head. The silence lingers on, until Shirogane turns back to them with a start.

“Please, forgive me. I didn’t mean to rain on what already is such a dreary parade.”

“Sounds like there’s a lot on your mind,” Sanada remarks dolefully.

A strained sigh is pushed out of Shirogane’s chest. “Inaba is a small town. It’s grown a bit larger over the decade, but at the time of Teddie’s disappearance, we were spread thin for investigators and-”

“You were assigned to his case,” Goro finishes, “despite your history with him. That’s not often a call a police chief would allow.”

“I was the chief at the time,” Shirogane confesses, with heavy shame. “I stepped down temporarily to pursue his whereabouts, and it became permanent once Narukami-senpai vanished too. Months went by without any sign of them, and...in a last ditch effort, I accepted a job in Shibuya to expand my search. Once a year had gone by, I was certain there was nowhere left in Inaba for them to hide.”

“That’s a lot to throw away on two cold cases.”

The detective’s jaw clenches. “No one else could have solved their cases. Two people with solid familial ties completely vanishing within six months of one another...it’s unheard of. Impossible. I’ve solved impossible cases before. Persona-user’s murdering people with TVs impossible.”

The bizarreness of the detective’s past barely phases Goro. “In other words, you let your pride dictate your investigation and ruin your career. Not to mention endanger the lives of your friends.”

Shirogane’s heels _skid_ against the stone. He stops abruptly, and with inhumane speed whips around to face Goro.

Goro hears the shuffling of feet collectively take a step back from behind him.

“My decisions, one way or another, led me exactly where I needed to be.” Shirogane’s words are icy and _sharp_. He stands at the same height as Goro, yet his gaze demands the younger man to quiver before him. “With each floor we climb, the closer I get to bringing them home.”

Goro stands definitely before him, refusing to yield. “Yes, that’s true. How convenient everything worked out well for you in the end.”

“Akechi-kun!” Junpei whispers harshly.

“I’ve given up everything to be where I am,” Shirogane utters lowly. “My career, my marriage, my home-”

“I’m not questioning your devotion to those you care about. I couldn’t give less of a shit if I tried.” Goro dares to step closer. Shirogane stands firm. “My only concern is what kind of headspace you're in, _detective_. Is your mind as keen as it once was, or is your wounded heart in command? Our survival hinges on our continued cooperation, and I seriously doubt your loyalty to us will last once your friends are truly thrown into the mix.”

Without even raising his hand, he delivers a decisive blow to Shirogane. The edge to the detective’s eyes crumble, and with a dazed gasp...he backs away.

Goro fights the urge to smile. He crosses his arms as the others inch back to his side.

Shirogane firmly stares at the floor, head weighted with shame. “No, I...I didn’t mean to leave you all with the impression that I-I’d…”

“T-That’s not what any of us thought!” Junpei assures him, and the stutter is just oh so convincing. “Akechi, that was out of line, man!”

“No, it’s alright. He has reason to be concerned. It’s...it’s really alright.”

There is creeps up on him again. The shame. It’s funny, and sickening, and Goro hates it. Is it even shame, or something else? Perhaps just exhaustion mistaken for the notion of giving a damn about what the others think.

Yes, that’s it. Absolutely.

And yet, regardless of what Goro convinces himself, he finds himself uttering, “Sorry, Shirogane-san.”

“ _What_ ,” Akira balks loudly.

Goro grits his teeth hard enough to crack them. “I _said_...I’m sorry. We all have our own reasons for being here, and...you shouldn’t be put on the spot for yours.”

He can just barely maintain eye-contact with Shirogane, while the detective seems unable to look away from him.

“T-Thank you, Akechi-san. I understand why you felt the need to question me, but I still appreciate the apology.”

Goro bows his head, unable to take much more of this. His entire body is aflame, his nerves pulsing and firing off a million commands to flee from the scenario _he_ created. This kind of embarrassment is something a child experiences after being caught in a flimsy lie. Goro is not a child and he certainly hasn’t lied. He’s been genuine from the moment he opened his mouth.

So why? What reason is there to feel this _shame?_ If he doesn’t regret what he’s said, then what has him whimpering like a mangy dog?

He just about leaps out of his skin when Junpei clasps him by the shoulder. “How about we all keep each other in check, ‘kay? I get it. We’re all stressed. We’re all tired. We all want to save our friends and get the hell out of here. But we’re not done yet, so we gotta get along. Okay?”

Goro unclenches his aching jaw. “Okay.”

Junpei beams, pats Goro on the back, and continues on as if nothing happened. The others follow his lead, Akira lingering behind with Goro.

Turns out he was able to rip him out of that cocoon after all.

Akira just stares at him, at a complete loss for words. Goro won’t give him the satisfaction of finding any. He catches up with the others.

The monotonous climb continues, until floor seventy-five.

It makes sense to save the roadblocks for significant levels. Three quarters of the way to freedom, and Shinjiro is waiting for them like a boss in a video game. Leaning against the opening to the next floor, the dead man waits patiently for them all to approach.

Sanada takes the first step forward, only to be stopped by Junpei. The taller man places himself in the way with two hands raised with caution.

“Hey hey hey hey hey. Let me take this one.”

“Not a chance.” Sanada pushes past him, Junpei offering no real resistance. He begins crossing the chamber only to look back mournfully.

“Please, I need to be the one to do this.”

Junpei gives a nod that’s just as heavyhearted. “Yeah, I know. We’ve got your back.”

It’s all Sanada needs to hear to continue on without hesitation. Shinjiro straightens up and approaches Sanada, the two coming to a stop mere feet from one another.

Hardly the start to a traditional boss fight. The echoing silence and longing stares between opponents. Shinjiro smiles warmly at Sanada, not an ounce of malice oozing out of him. Goro wouldn’t put it past Sanada to back away, given what little he’s been shown to believe otherwise. Claims of being a star athlete and fighter are one thing. To actually demonstrate those skills is another.

“I need you to move, Shinji,” Sanada croaks, finally.

Shinjiro cocks his head to the side. Strands of his hair fall over his eyes, though the smile remains. “You don’t gotta do this, Aki. Keepin’ up with appearances, pretendin’ you’re strong for Hamuko. You said it yourself not to hold onto shit too long.”

“I know.” Sanada reaches a delicate hand up to Shinjiro’s face. He cups the man’s cheek, then sweeps his fingertips up to brush the hair out of his eyes. Back to his side his hand goes, right above where he’s holstered the evoker. “I tried letting you go years ago, and the guilt with it. But old habits die hard, right? I...I’m always gonna care about you, and at this point I don’t think I could ever get over you. What we had and...never got to. I know you wouldn’t want me to remember you like this. I gotta get to Hamuko now, so...I’m gonna ask you to move.”

Slowly, not out of fear or hesitation, but with inevitability, Sanada pulls out the evoker.

Shinjiro watches the weapon be drawn, smile fading but the warmth pulsing brighter. “We never could get the other to do what we wanted.”

“Communication issues and stubbornness. Yeah, we would’ve made a great couple.”

They both laugh, and for a moment, Goro swears he sees two gangly teenagers standing in their place. Shoulders hunched under the weight of the past and present, but the joy of sharing a laugh with the other keeping them standing. Then the laughter fades, and so does the illusion.

“Sorry it’s gotta be this way,” Shinjiro confesses. The sentient is incredibly convincing, even if he’s only a shadow.

Sanada doesn’t crack, though. Instead, he points the evoker to his temple and mutters through a building sob, “Goodbye, Shinji.”

He pulls the trigger. Caesar materializes above him, the world in his palm cackling with electricity. Shinjiro dissolves into darkness, and in his place holvers a new shadow. Bulging torso, wide shoulders, and spindly legs wrapped around a nightmare steed. The spear already impaled through its chest emits its own sparkling energy. A burst of ziodyne opposes a powerful strike from the shadow’s fist, and with that chaos ensues.

“WE GOTTA FLANK THEM!” Junpei shouts before rushing into the confusion. There’s not much he’ll be able to do without his own evoker, and it becomes obvious to Goro once Shirogane and Joker take off the other way he’s been left on babysitting duty.

Leave the defenseless party members to fend for themselves. Great strategy.

There’s a break in the opponent’s casting, leaving Goro just enough time to cross the chamber before the carnage continues. A tremor shoots through the stone and the very ground beneath Goro’s feet begins to crack upwards. He’s only saved by the arms Junpei wraps around him to pull him away.

They scramble to shield themselves behind a pillar, standing so obvious off to the side of the room it almost demands to be blasted apart.

“Can’t stay here. Gotta move!” Goro hisses. He rips a grenade out of his duffel and passes it off to his fellow useless teammate.

There’s another break in the action. Shirogane has reached Sanada’s side, ready to deflect the attacks he can’t dodge. Meanwhile, Joker has placed himself and his Odin to the shadow’s back. Either the shadow hasn’t noticed him or it knows it can strike the phantom thief without even looking at him. They really should have come up with a better plan before letting Sanada have his heart-to-heart.

Goro braces himself to run, only to realize Junpei hasn’t done the same.

“Idiot, we’re moving!”

Junpei isn’t listening. He’s fixated on the grenade, thumb rubbing over a slight intent near the pin.

“Iori-san! Move NOW!”

The other man jolts, and clutches the grenade to his chest. “Right! Sorry!”

They take off, but by then their window has narrowed. They’re completely out in the open once the fighting continues, with no more obvious pillars to save them. Another tremor shoots its way out through the floor, the pillar they were behind previously exploding into pieces. Chunks of it go flying, one just nicking Goro’s shoulder. He stumbles, but Junpei drags him to his feet.

Joker takes a defensive stance, concentrating.

“Idiot! IDIOT!”

“What did I do?!” Junpei shrieks.

“Not you! JOKER! MOVE!”

By the time Joker’s prepared himself, he’ll be scattered across the room in a dozen bloody pieces. Damn him for using personas that require so much effort to act! They’re too far away to reach him, and if the gunshot Goro just heard is any indication, Shirogane has his hands full.

“Throw the grenade!”

“Hell no! Your friend’s too close! He’ll get caught in it!”

How fucking typical. The only way to save Akira is to not save Akira. Why does he have to make everything so difficult?

One last break in the action before the victor is decided. Goro crunches the numbers. They need Akira to escape tartarus; only his arsenal of personas can provide them the manpower they’re lacking. Junpei is the far faster runner between the two of them, as he’s previously demonstrated. Shirogane can protect Sanada and himself from the blast, which only leaves...Goro.

It’s his only option to fix this. Die.

There’s not even enough time to agonize over it. Not like the last two times.

He shoves Junpei forward, ripping the grenade from his grasp. “SAVE AKIRA!”

Ten feet away from the shadow. Fifteen strides, give or take, for Goro to make it there. He yanks the pin out. Mere seconds to cross the distance. Junpei is screaming at him, but doesn’t break out of his sprint to reach Joker.

Ironic. Goro was already going to die in Shibuya. Just not like this. It was supposed to be by the hands of Shido’s bitter goonies in prison. He wasn’t actively seeking his death; he just knew it was an inevitability once he turned himself in.

Fate has found another way to exact its justice. A bit convoluted, but once the fuse inside goes off it-

Agony. Pure agony.

Nothing.

Darkness…

  
  
  
  


Piano.

A voice. Harmonizing. Rising.

Chill air. Feeling. _Breathing_.

Goro sits up.

He wasn’t even aware he was lying down, but no doubt the blast threw what was left of his body backwards. Even though he can move, his senses take their time to adjust. All he can do is listen, to the vitality of this song coming from absolutely nowhere.

Then that nowhere becomes somewhere. A dim room with bare furnishings, one Goro has a hard time recognizing. The details escape him, mind scrambled. Quite literally.

What cannot be mistaken is the grand piano in the back corner, or the woman whose hands are dancing across the keys. She continues to belt her evocative melody, which stirs out of Goro a sadness he can’t quite fully describe. It’s an emotion meant to only be temporarily, like the coming down of a ridiculous high. Only it’s drawn out now, to the point of driving him mad.

And yet, he is completely calm. Or more accurately, pacified.

He finds himself standing suddenly. Looking down, he sees the rumbled carpet he was sleeping upon. There’s something familiar about its pattern, though he doesn’t remember it’s navy color.

A final key is played on the piano before the notes die out. The woman continues singing for a few notes longer. Then she stops, a smile curling on his face. With a roguish chuckle, she rises from her bench.

She’s ripped from a completely different era, her elevator dress having no place in the twenty-first century besides a costume party. She taps the small cap upon her head back into place and smooths out the ruffles in her skirt.

A hand is placed on her hip. “I’ve never had a go of playing it myself. How did I sound?”

Goro finds he cannot speak. His knees wobble upon trying.

“Oh! You may still be adjusting to your surroundings. Take your time. I _know_ I did excellent.”

“‘N underst’m’nt,” Goro chokes out. “Wh-? _Ngh_.”

“Don’t strain yourself. We have plenty of time to talk,” the woman assures him. The smile on her face grows more mischievous by the second. “I should introduce myself, since I already know who you are, _Goro Akechi_.”

Goro must make a face because the woman is suddenly sent into a fit of hysterics.

“My name is Elizabeth!” she laughs giddily. “Welcome to _my_ Velvet Room!”


	12. Compendium

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goro makes another shady deal. Junpei reflects momentarily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I left you all for so long on that terrible cliffhanger! Life has been...well life, but strangely shittier for some reason??? I'm doing okay though, and I hope you all are too!
> 
> Sorry if this chapter reads awkwardly. Life was too chaotic to ever sit down and get the whole thing out in one go. So if it reads like I had to pause the same scene twenty times and come back to it later, that's why. I promise next chapter will be cleaner.

Goro, despite his body being in a condition that would make a metaphysician go batshit, has to sit down for a moment. 

The fatigue he is experiencing is just a concept, or a feeble attempt at his consciousness to make sense of his current level of existence. Still, he perches himself on the edge of the bed in the center of the room. There’s a pattern on the top comforter, but it is either intentionally fuzzy or his vision is still adjusting.

It does concern him, however, that Elizabeth stands out to him with perfect clarity. Her very presence demands the utmost attention be placed on her, though Goro suspects this is less due to what she is and more so her infectious personality.

She has yet to drop her cheeky grin, eyeing Goro up as if he were a prize hung on a booth at a fair. “I’m sure you have plenty of questions. I’m more than happy to answer them.”

“W-What happened-?”

“Oh, you exploded,” Elizabeth answers plainly. “I thought that was rather obvious.”

Goro blinks. “Let me clarify...what happened to bring me here?”

Elizabeth gestures to herself with an elegant sweep of her arm. “Why, _ I _ am the one responsible for saving your life! I was able to snag your soul before it was sent to... _ wherever _ it would’ve gone. Perhaps a pleasant afterlife, or a...not so pleasant one.”

_ The latter _ , Goro thinks. The place he seems fantastic at avoiding (or is always dragged away from). “Thanks for that, I suppose. How do I get back to my reality?”

“Sadly, you can’t.”

“I can’t?”

“Nope.” Then Elizabeth smiles.

Goro feels the goosebumps on his arms he doesn’t think are actually there. “Maybe I should ask this instead: how can you get me back to my reality?”

“I may have an idea on  _ that~ _ ,” she confesses, in a sing-song voice. “Though before I attempt to send you on your way, there is something I wish to discuss with you. A deal.”

He scoffs. “I’ve made enough deals in my life. They never end up very good for me.”

“Maybe because you always seem to side with the wrong people.”

Goro lets her comment slide, not really in a position to argue. “And you’re the right kind of person?”

Elizabeth laughs cheerfully. “I am certainly special, and capable of many things others are not! For instance…”

She holds out her hand, the air between her fingers shimmering. Then with a  _ poof! _ a large, leather-bound tome appears in her grasp. She flips quickly to the first page, and before Goro can further suss out what she’s looking for, she turns the book his way.

“My my, Goro Akechi. You are missing your personas! Look how pitiful this list is!”

There’s a lot to unpack here, from the blank, crisp page in her tome, to the realization Elizabeth is fully aware of his wild card abilities. He disregards caution (given he’s technically dead) and flips to the next page. Also blank. The next? Blank as well.

“This is a compendium,” he surmises, “similar to the one Kurusu has. As far as I was aware, only his Velvet Room attendant had access to it.”

Elizabeth snaps the tome shut, almost on Goro’s fingers. She tucks the compendium safely in the crook of her arm. “I may have stolen yours, for the purposes of our arrangement. Don’t worry, I have a way of returning it.”

Goro...is unsure whether to believe her. “What importance does it have to our ‘arrangement?’”

With a delicate hand, Elizabeth waves Goro back a few feet. He backs up until his legs hit the edge of the bed. Satisfied with the distance, Elizabeth holds out his compendium, closes her eyes, and mutters something that fizzles in his ears like static before a lightning strike. He attempts to pop his ears, but is blinded by a violent flash of pure, white light.

In Elizabeth’s hands now is a different tome, as evident by the cracks deepening along the spine and cover. The whimsy in Elizabeth’s eyes dwindles, and she takes her time flipping between the book’s yellow-stained pages.

Finally, after indulging in her moment of longing, she shuts the tome gently. “This is the compendium of Minato Arisato. He collected far more personas than you over the course of his life, and used a great deal of them before his passing.”

She steps closer, and despite matching Goro’s height, she towers over him. There is a frantic look to her eyes, as if she were just about to gamble away her life’s savings on a bet not worth the risk.

“I must apologize to you and recant what I said previously. I was able to save your soul, Goro Akechi, but I am unable to return you to the reality you left behind completely as you were. I am quite powerful, but outside of my Master’s domain, I face many limitations.”

It never gets easier, swallowing the harsh pill of death. Whether in front of a loaded gun, in a coffee shop, or before a resplendent woman, Goro is just as scared now as he was then.

But still defiant, because he refuses to die any less of the stubborn man he was. “Why leave your master in the first place, if you can’t even accomplish what you left to do, I assume?”

Elizabeth breaks into another smile. This one comes nowhere close to reaching her eyes. “There’s something I have to do that he is not willing to. I know you don’t like being used as a pawn in someone else’s game, so I will keep my goals and your fate as transparent as possible.”

“What about me will change?” he asks with an even tone.

“I can return you back to the moment of your death, not as you are now but by exploiting a...minor loophole.”

“How minor?”

“In the grand scheme of things, minor enough.”

She’s a shameless liar, but Goro has no choice but to listen to her.

“If I were to, say, loosely define a persona as one’s character perceived by others, then a soul is no more than the purest form of one.”

Goro’s nostrils flare. “You’re putting me in his damn  _ book?! _ ”

“Indeed!” Elizabeth exclaims. “However, your soul isn’t  _ actually _ a persona. They may both be capable of thought and action, but only one possesses the ability to emote. Given this, you will be able to summon yourself at will and return to your reality, flesh and bone.”

Elizabeth’s train of logic falls off the tracks, Goro holding on inside for dear life. “That...makes  _ no _ sense! If I summon myself-first off,  _ how? _ -that shouldn’t mean I become human again. If anything-!”

“Don’t question the laws of reality!” Elizabeth scolds him. “For a young man as intelligent as you, I’m surprised you skipped over the most important detail.”

“More like  _ you _ did.”

“ _ Cognition _ , Goro Akechi. What holds the leftovers of Dr. Maruki’s reality together? The beliefs in powerful persona users. It’s why so many are trapped in it now, because they refuse to let go of the falsehoods that entertained them for months. I’m sure you have someone over there who believes you could survive anything. It would only take one fool to consider you real to make you so.”

God. Damn. Akira.

Hot, blistering anger bubbles in Goro’s gut. He’s always been tethered to that idiot, and forced onto his same lofty ideals. Those same ideals have dragged him back from the dead time and time again. Goro prays to some sort of god that rope will one day  _ snap _ .

Not for his sake, but for Akira’s. He holds powers beyond his understanding just by believing in the unworthy. He offers Goro an out he’s never deserved, at the cost of his own expectations. What happens when Akira decides he’s not worthy of the same compassion he holds for others?

_ He’d _ be the one to blow himself up with a grenade, not wanting others to come to harm.

“My master will take immediate notice of the irregularity,” Elizabeth continues, either not noticing Goro’s dread or unbothered by it. “Luckily, he will be unable to act for some time. This pocket dimension of Dr. Maruki’s has thrown us all for a loop. Twice! It’s caused quite a bit of chaos.”

“An understatement, I-I assure you.”

“You don’t know the slight of it, Goro Akechi. Fates have been unraveled and the laws of nature violated. The continued existence of Maruki’s world suggests a single, parasitic entity is the cause of all this. Likely, a problem Maruki thought he had solved and only made worse. Perhaps the raising of certain persona users from the dead.”

Finally. A  _ lead _ . The rusty cogs in Goro’s mind are oiled, and begin to spin. Something to focus on other than Akira, the attention hog. “This dimension still exists because the dead are trying to return to the living. But Shinjiro-san was merely a shadow, meaning…”

Elizabeth wills Arisato’s compendium back into oblivion. “The error you’re looking for is very much real.”

“ _ How? _ ” Goro stresses. “You obviously know more than you’re letting on. You must have  _ some _ clue.”

“I can see much of what is going on, but like you I cannot see behind the stage curtain. I do know that Arisato is not real. I know where his soul truly lies, and it is not in this false tomb.”

Twin fangs spring out from under her lip upon uttering those words. There’s a resentment fueling her motives, clearly caused by the unfortunate end of her guest’s life. Goro can’t picture being handed a position like hers, and having her efforts go to such a horrible waste.

“This is getting needlessly complicated. Answer me this: why go through the hassle of resurrecting me? Of giving me Arisato’s prized compendium?”

The fangs remain barred even when she smiles. “You’re a very special guest, Goro Ake-”

“You want Arisato-san back, I presume. The real Arisato. And you think I can help you with that?”

The fangs retract. “I want them all back. Iori, Sanada, and dear, dear Hamuko. I also want Dr. Maruki’s dimension gone, so our two realities do not soon collapse in on themselves and destroy all life as we know it.”

Goro feels as if he’s been doused in cold water. “H-How long do we have before that?!”

“Who knows, really? Perhaps another year? Another minute?”

When will the stakes stop being raised? “Back to my question: why help me? Why not use someone else?”

“There  _ is _ no one else,” Elizabeth bemoans. “So far, you’re the only one to die in Maruki’s dimension. If it had been someone more tolerable who had sacrificed their life, I would have gladly chosen them instead.”

Then if that’s true, “The missing persona users are still alive, then?”

“For now. You must hurry, and I will warn you that not all of them are here.”

“Not here? Where else could they be?”

“Not all of them live here in Shibuya. They come from all places, big and small.”

Inaba. “You’ve got to be shitting me.”

“One last thing, Goro Akechi!” Elizabeth reopens Arisato’s compendium, flipping quickly to a page near the back of the tome. “When you find those who are missing, to bring them back home, you need only release yourself.”

“I hope you have an issue with phrasing.”

“Will yourself back into the compendium, and a doorway between realities will appear. It won’t be open long, so make sure you all are ready.”

“How can I possibly do that? And how will _ I _ be able to go through?”

“It’s easier to do than to describe the mechanics of it. You’ll do fine. I’ll be waiting here should you be unable to figure it out yourself!”

Goro glowers at her. “I’m not feeling very confident about this arrangement.”

“Nonsense.” Elizabeth flips the open compendium to face Goro, an old ink pen materializing between her ring and pinky ringer. “You’re going to do wonders.”

“More like I have to.” He takes the pen.

The instant pen tip meets paper, there’s a tugging sensation in Goro’s chest. He feels compelled forward, each curve drawn into the paper cementing the severity of his commitment. Elizabeth eyes him with anxious curiosity as he pulls the pen up briefly to start on his last name. He is weightless, yet heavy with what can only be described as the feeling one has when finally,  _ finally _ grappling with their own mortality.

This death is special, which is an odd thing to say. Every death should be special, yet some turn out to be unremarkable. Sudden and tragic. Quiet and treasured. Loud and bombastic. Goro has had the privilege to experience all three.

What difference is there to be seen in his many lives and many deaths, except for his immeasurable luck?

It’s a thought that sticks with Goro as the pen dissolves from his hand and a door creaks open behind him.

Chidori told Junpei one night, while sitting together on the couch and sketching aimlessly, that he had an artist’s eye. She said it with such certainty, but when Junpei pressed her for an explanation, she became speechless. The light behind her eyes went dark, and Junpei let the subject drop lest she be stuck like that all night.

He was eventually able to figure out what she meant; those who explore emotions for a living have an easier time recognizing them in others. Junpei can’t draw for shit, but he’s been around enough sad sacks in his life to tell when people just aren’t doing alright.

Akira Kurusu has to be the most broken kid he’s ever seen. Next to Akechi, almost like they were made for one another.

The stench of iron wafts through the air. A red tint appears along the cuffs of Junpei’s sleeves. There’s no way to describe how horribly sickening it all is. To watch someone so young get blown into a million pieces and have the remains scattered every which way.

At least they had their backs turned when Jin went.

Akira has fallen to his knees, mask slipping off his face. The kid is quaking, hard enough to fall completely apart. Junpei falls back on old habits, rushing to the aid of others when unwilling to unpack his own shit. He kneels beside the kid, clasping his shoulders tightly.

“Look away, man. C’mon. Focus on me, yeah?”

Akira continues staring. Yeah,  _ you _ try looking away from that fucked up of a scene. Junpei scoots himself so he’s right in Akira’s line of sight. Finally, that gets the phantom thief to  _ blink _ a little.

“Hey, hey. You’re not looking so good. Can’t have you going into shock, okay?”

Junpei releases Akira long enough to shrug his jacket off and wrap it around him. Akira doubles over on himself, whimpering as if a gag had been stuffed down his throat.

Shaken but as composed as ever, Akihiko comes to stand by Junpei’s side. “Shadow’s gone.”

“No shit...you okay?”

“No.”

“Yeah. Me neither.” Junpei pulls Akira in close for an awkward half-cradle. “He just...like he didn’t care-”

A horrendous sob is ripped out of Akira, ringing throughout the chamber. Junpei runs a hand up and down his back.

“Sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Shirogane approaches, eyes misting over. “I’m out of bullets…”

Down two good men, just like that. Akihiko kicks at a chunk of rubble. A minute ago it used to be a part of the flooring. Just a  _ minute _ ago. He chuckles, voice gravelly. “We’re not getting out of here.”

The stub of a wick fueling Junpei’s resilience burns away.

“I’m not gonna get to meet my son.”

No one knows what to say to that. They’re all leaving people behind, and letting down the ones waiting to be rescued. There’s no easy way to swallow down failure, and Junpei knows he’ll have to take his spoonful.

The silence continues. Then-

_ BANG! _

Junpei flinches, reaching for his hip. The evoker isn’t there. He gave it to Akihiko.

He expects to find it on his friend’s hip, or even in his hands, but Akihiko is unarmed, looking aghast at something behind them.

Shielding Akira, Junpei follows his gaze.

He sucks in a breath sharp enough to cut through steel.

Smoke pools out of the evoker’s muzzle, trailing upwards to curl around the spindly legs of Orpheus. The ancient musician floats expectedly, as if he had been waiting to be summoned for quite some time. His metal fingers brush against his harp strings, but not strong enough to draw out a sound.

Junpei swears the persona looks right at him, before slipping back into oblivion with a nob.

Below where he once hovered, Goro Akechi lowers the evoker and catches his breath.

“I will explain.”

He faints almost immediately after.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!


End file.
